My cocaine, my heroin, my necessity
by shewhodanceswithsquirrels
Summary: Ginny and the three men in her life. Ginny and the man that made her, the man that broke her, and the one that saved her. rated M for adult themes and language. chapters 8-10 are quite intentional, i assure you
1. The beginning

**So I totally hit writers block on my other fic, but this was has been flowing pretty well so I should get it finished a lot sooner. Sorry to anyone who was expecting an ending on the other one. **

**Disclaimer: I take a lot of scenes directly from the books as in I'll copy exact passages, just for the sake of showing Ginny's POV in the scenes she is included in. My fic starts in The Chamber of Secrets and goes pretty quickly through books two through six. The main part of the fic will start set Half-Blood Prince through The Deathly Hallows. The plot of my fic follows the plot of the HP series until the very ending, which is still moderately the same. i acknowledge that although i put a twist on Rowling's plot I, sadly, own nothing. **

**Hope you guys enjoy.**

XOXOXOXO

She was twelve. She woke up on the cold, damp ground that was the Chamber of Secrets. The long thick snake that had been attacking students all year lay dead on the ground only five yards from her. She blinked and saw Harry covered in blood. _His_ blood? Then she saw her diary- _Tom's_ diary. Oh. It was ink. Harry was covered in thick, gooey, black ink.

_'It was gone!'_ She thought mournfully. _'Oh what have I done?' _She sat up and Harry walked towards her. She was so torn. She knew Tom was evil, he shouldnt've gotten away with the terrible things he was doing- _they_ were doing. But he was her friend . . . As much as she hated him, she couldn't wish death on her friend. Her mind was racing. She drew a great shuddering gasp and tears began to pour down her face. She had to explain, he had to understand . . .

"Harry- Oh, Harry- I tried to tell you at b-breakfast, but I c-_couldn't_ say it in front of Percy- it was _me, _Harry- but I- I s-swear I d-didn't mean to- R-Riddle mad me, he t-took me over- and- _how_ did you kill that- that thing? W-where's Riddle? The last thing I r-remember is him coming out of the diary-"

It _hadn't_ been her, he had _forced_ her! But where was he? A dreadful, terrible part of her wanted to see him. . .

Harry was talking, her mind was racing too fast to pay any attention.

"I'm going to be expelled!" she wept as Harry helped her to her feet. She kept blubbering, not really paying attention to what she was saying. They walked quite a while and then Harry yelled. She heard her brother, Ron, yell in reply.

"_Ginny!"_ he reached through a large gap in a wall of rocks that she was sure hadn't been there before and he pulled her through to the other side. Immediately he started asking a million questions. Oh she just wanted Tom! She began to cry even harder. Then she was holding Professor Lockhart's hand and they were flying up pipes by means of a large, beautiful bird.

Then there was the reunion with her family and Harry took over telling the story and she took refuge on her mother's shoulder, still crying. She was going to be expelled, she just knew it. Then Professor Dumbledore, the wonderful man, gave an explanation and she was off the hook. Of course, then he began to tell about Tom in his school days, and she hated herself for drinking in every word about him, wanting to hold onto her best friend for a few moments longer.

Then her mother was scolding her for not being more careful and they exited the exquisite office of Professor Dumbledore. They took her home that night, she didn't say goodbye to any of her friends. Not that she cared about them, the dreadful, horrible part of her thought. She just wanted Tom back. She hugged a spare pillow to herself as she lay in bed crying.

"_Oh get a hold of yourself, Ginevra!_" snapped a brisk, important voice. She gasped and looked around.

"W-who's there?" she sniffled, wiping her eyes on the back of her hand.

"_It's me." _came the voice, glumly.

"Tom?" she asked timidly, thinking she must be dreaming.

"_No. The Easter bunny. Who else would it be?_" he replied bitterly.

"B-but Harry. . . Harry killed you . . . " she said, feeling very stupid. Tom sighed.

"_I'm in your head._"

"You're in my head." she repeated in bemusement.

"_Yes._" Ginny laid back down and scrunched her eyes in concentration.

". . . How?" Tom sighed loudly in her head again, sounding bored.

"_I slipped in, right before Harry ruined my journal, just like I have been doing all year._"

"You . . . oh!" she gasped. Then all of a sudden, her misery at her loss was swept away by a flood of anger and she thought loudly at him, "You bastard! How could you make me do all that terrible stuff! Get out of my head! And. . . why aren't you controlling me?" her voice changed from angry to suspicious.

"_As for the first, I am Lord Voldemort, you silly girl, what would I make you do that _wouldn't _be terrible? And as for the latter two, believe me, I definitely do not _want_ to be inside your head, I've had enough of your girlish problems all year, I am more than ready to be rid of you, however i can't seem to get out of here _or_ control you so I'm . . . _stuck_ here with you._" he said nastily.

"For how long?" she asked calculatively.

"_I haven't the slightest._"he sighed.

"Well then. Until you leave, I will make sre every second that you spend inside my head will be spent in penance."

"_Oh, is that so?_" he drawled.

"Yes," she said firmly. "You won't ever do terrible things through me again."

"_Oh, you think so, do you?_"he asked tartly.

"Yes."

"_Just going to be little Miss Perfect now?_" he mocked.

"As a matter of fact, yes. You'll regret ever choosing _my _head to inhabit Tom Riddle!"

"_I am Lord Voldemort!" he yelled. "And as if I had a choice about who's head to inhabit. It was either you or the boy._"She smirked.

"Okay, Tom." she said with a smile and fell asleep.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

She was fourteen. She sat in the stands of the Quidditch pitch gazing down with all the other students from Hogwarts and the select few from Durmstrang and Beauxbaton. She rolled her eyes.

"This is ridiculous." she thought.

"_What?_" came Tom's voice from inside her head.

"_**This.**_" she stated, frustrated.

"_And_ what,_ praytell, is _this_?_" Tom asked again.

"We can't even see what's gong on! They should've made the hedges transparent to the non-competitors or something." she growled.

"_Would you like me to tell you what's going to happen?_" came the coy reply.

"Tom! What did you do!?"

"_Oh, you'll see my dear, you'll see._"

"Tom Marvolo Riddle you tell me right this instant!" she commanded. Tom laughed. "Oh I hate you." she grumbled. "Whatever it is, I hope it makes you leave my head and rot." she muttered mutinously.

"_Oh, come Ginvera, you'd be devastated without me, you've come to rely on me. Don't deny it._"

"I most certainly do not!" she replied indigantly. And for once, he was quiet. "What? No remark from you oh-all-knowing-one?" she prodded. She could feel him glare at her.

"_Just shut up won't you?_" he said huffily.

"Oh don't be so butt hurt about it," she thought, rolling her eyes. "I swear, you're such a woman sometimes." He glared again.

"Gin?" someone, outside her head, called her.

"Oh_, _hm?" she replied. It was her best (tangible) friend, Parvati. And she, along with her other friends, Neville and Collin were looking at her expectantly. Lavendar was looking as well, but she had always hated Ginny so her look was more menacing than expectant.

"Are you okay?" Neville asked.

"What? Yes, I'm fine. . . " Ginny answered spacily. The three that were her friends exchanged looks.

"You've been awfully quiet," Collin explained.

"Oh, I've just-" she paused for a moment to formulate a lie, she couldn't very well tell them 'Oh, I've been busy conversing with Lord Voldemort, who is, by the way, still alive.' No, that wouldn't do at all. "I'm just worried for Harry is all." she finished lamely. Tom scoffed inside her head. She mentally glared at him.

"What? You expect me to tell them I was chatting with _you_ do you?"

"_I expect you to cover me up with someone who is __not_ _my arch-nemesis._" he replied moodily.

"Oh, get over it." she thought, rolling her eyes. He huffed and shut up, pouting.

"This is stupid," Ginny said aloud to her friends.

"What is?" Parvati asked.

"We can't see anything!" she voiced in exasperation.

"It _is_ rather frustrating." Neville agreed.

"_I'm bored._" Tom said sullenly.

"Well are you done pouting?" she asked haughtily, extracting herself from her friend's conversation. He didn't reply. "Don't tell me you're bored unless you're done pouting." she directed as if to a five year old.

"_Okay, fine._"

"Fine, what?" she prompted.

"_Fine, I'm done pouting . . . Talk to me again._" he requested darkly. Ginny couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"You're so cute," she thought to Tom as Parvati, Neville, and Collin threw her odd looks and Lavendar shot her a dirty look.

"What are you on about?" Collin asked.

"Oh, just a joke I heard earlier," she said with a smile. Then she was once again, in conversation with Tom and she shut out her friends.

"_. . . by the way, Ginevra, I'll be leaving now._" Tom told her as the sun began to set and people started igniting their wand tips for light.

"Leaving?" Ginny asked, amused. "And where might you be going, hmm?"

"_My body is about to rise._" he stated simply.

"Your body is about to rise." she repeated.

"_Yes, darling. You have felt me slip away for small moments of time lately. I've been planning with a faithful servant of mine to restore me to my body._"

"Oh, Tom! Shame on you! You can't be out in the world! You're dangerous!"

"_Oh, we both know I'm much more than that, Ginevra dear._"

"Tom! You terrible, horrible. . ."

"_Goodbye Ginevera, until we meet again. . ._" his voice trailed away softly, leaving her alone. More alone than she had been in quite a while, even amidst all of the people there. Ginny furrowed her eyebrows furiously.

What a predicament _this_ left her in. She was honor bound to tell someone. But how in the world would she explain without everyone writing her off as crazy? Just because she _said_ she heard the Dark Lord in her head didn't prove anything. And even if they _did_ believe her, they would be quite angry with her for not divulging the information at anytime in the past two years. She debated silently with herself, unused to not hearing a voice reply to her thoughts. But then a disturbance on the field shook her from her silent dealings.

Harry was back. So was Cedric. But the latter of the two looked unconcious.

'Hm. Wonder what happened.' she thought with interest, waiting in vain for Tom to scoff at Harry and rattle a completely bogus excuse to explain him winning as opposed to another contestant. She sighed, willing herself to not think of it.

It was later that night and Ginny lay in bed glaring up at the top of her four poster bed. So she was saved from exposing her dirty little secret because Harry had escaped her resurrected Tom and was able to warn Dumbledore. So it wasn't on her shoulders. Poor Harry.

She couldn't be_lieve_ Tom. She had always known he was inherently evil, but for some fool reason some part of her had thought, maybe- just maybe- he could change. She laughed bitterly to herself. For Merlin's sake, he had tried to kill Harry and succeeded in doing such to poor Cedric Diggory. Bah. She needed to sleep. It had been so long since she had had to fall asleep on her own, she wasn't sure if she remembered how. . .

XOXOXOXOXOXO

**So that's chapter one. Remember to REVIEW!!**


	2. Back Again

**Thankyou to all my lurvely reviewers!**

**rowan greenleaf- you'll find out very soon who is what drug lol and i've got the fic almost finished on paper and completely finished in my head, so no worries there.**

**my anonymous reviewer-that was really nice to read, like they always say, encouragement like that makes the world go round. . . or something like that. at any rate, muah!**

**Love is the key to the world, believer of the fairies, im08just97me, and XoGirliliciousXo- thanks for the add!**

**and now i give you chapter two:**

**Back Again**

**XOXOXOXOXOXO**

Someone was furious. She could hear whoever it was yelling two stories above her at headquarters of The Order of the Phoenix. She was currently busy throwing dungbombs at the kitchen doors to test if they were imperturbable; they were. She scowled at the doors and headed upstairs to investigate the source of all the commotion. She entered the room to find Ron, Hermione, Fred, George and a very angry Harry.

"Oh hello, Harry!" she said brightly. "I thought I heard your voice." Then turning to the twins she said, "It's a no go with the extendable ears, she's gone and put an Imperturbable Charm on the kitchen doors." Ginny said disappointed, in reference to the door currently standing between them and a very top secret Order meeting. She had been eager for information regarding Tom- no, Lord Voldemort. She had been trying very hard to think of him as Lord Voldemort, he wasn't her Tom anymore.

"How d'you know?" said George, looking crestfallen. And she explained about the dungbombs. Fred heaved a deep sigh.

"Shame. I really fancied finding out what old Snape's been up to."

"Snape?" said Harry quickly. "Is he here?"

"Yeah." said George as he, Fred and Ginny all positioned themselves on one of the beds in the room. Then the six of them continued to discuss Snap, Bill and Fleur, Charlie, Percy, Dumbledore, and the frustrating lack of news about Lord Voldemort and his dark movement.

She hung out with the group a lot the next few weeks as opposed to being cooped up in her room, when she had been reluctant to be around Harry, what with Tom mouthing off every time she went near him. The information Sirius had allowed Harry to hear hadn't been very useful and she was still frustrated. She wanted to know where Tom- no, Voldemort- was and what he was doing.

Harry had had to go to a ministry hearing in that time that they spent together. Of course, he had gotten off and Ginny found herself elated and joined in the celebration. She was in the middle of a loud raucous war chant with the twins chanting "He got off!" over and over when a smooth voice slipped through her thoughts, sending a shiver down her spine.

"_You're making a fool of yourself._"

It was him.

She opened her mouth wide and immediately fell into a nearby chair, staring blankly in front of her. No one seemed to notice amidst all the cheer.

"What the. . . How dare you! I'm going to tell!" she thought childishly, in shock. Tom laughed back at her.

"_You do that, Ginevra. No one will believe you._" he said mirthlessly. She fumed inwardly.

"What the hell are you doing?" she hissed.

"_It appears as though I'm conversing with __you__._" he replied in a bored, sarcastic voice.

"Why. Are. You. Back?" she growled, seething.

"_You think I'm here by choice?_" he answered bitterly. "_I thought I was rid of you! But my damned consciousness keeps slipping back into yours and I can't control it. You've been asleep the several times it has happened lately so you haven't noticed. But this time I've been here for nearly twenty minutes and I can't get back._" he said, frustrated.

"So you're here for a while then?" asked the treacherous part of her mind that believed he still had good in him, that part of her mind that couldn't help but remember him as the one who she'd spent countless hours talking with, who, for the last two and a half years she had traded snide comments with, had debated with, had confided in. And instead of ignoring him as she knew she should or going straight to her parents, Ginny awaited his answer.

"_I don't know._"

"You're a terrible person, you know." she grumbled.

"_Yes, yes, I'm quite evil. Can we skip this conversation, please?_" he asked impatiently.

"No we most certainly cannot!" she replied, appalled. "Tom! You have attempted to murder a dear friend of mine, and succeeded in the murder of an innocent boy! How could you?!" Then muttering something aloud to the people around her about finding a lou, Ginny practically ran out of the kitchen, as she was about to cry.

"_You knew what I was._" came Tom's reply, almost gently. "_I never promised to be anything other than that. You __knew__._" he said, almost pleading.

She was sitting in her bedroom, her arms wrapped around her knees holding her legs to her chest. And she was crying. She had not cried about this at all. She tried to will herself to not cry. She had heard the pleading tone in his voice. No matter what Tom did, she couldn't just ignore him. He was as much a part of her as her hands and feet. Evil or not, she could not simply turn away from him. She hiccuped as she came to terms with this and stopped crying.

"You're a rotten piece of work, Tom Riddle." she mumbled, getting under the covers to go to bed.

"_I told you you'd be devastated without me._" he said, now cheery.

"Hmph," she snorted. "I was fine till you came back, you jerk."

**XOXOXOXOXOXO**

She was fifteen. It was about to be Christmas holidays of her fourth year. Tom had left her twice for short amounts of time, just arriving back yesterday from his latest excursion of six hours. She had tried effortlessly to get information from him, using annoyance tactics so brutally that she annoyed herself. He wouldn't budge. And Ginny carefully never thought of anything important to do with the order, so he could not used it against them, finally investing in a Pensieve so as she wouldn't have to worry about accidentally leaking information.

Tom simply balked at her D.A. classes that had formed in response to Professor Umbridge's installation in the school and stubbornly refused to watch them, brooding of falling asleep inside her mind. He could teach her so much more, was his continuous offer. And so he did, safe in the confines of her mind, teach her the most difficult of magic. But as she enjoyed the company of the D.A. and the rebellion against Umbridge, she continued to attend meetings, despite her superior abilities.

Then there were her boyfriends. And Tom _loathed_ them, every one. They were either ugly or incompetent or conceited or some such negative trait which inherently made them not suitable to be dating her. In exasperation, Ginny had asked _who_, pray tell, might be good enough for her. Tom had thought long and hard on that one and had answered, "_The Malfoy boy._" Ginny had almost retched in disgust. But tonight, she lay in bed happily conversing about whom she would like to date next, enjoying listening to Tom get all the more angry. He was so fun to rile up.

"You know, you'd think you were jealous." she said slyly.

"_I most certainly am not!_" he replied indigently, and retreated into one of his brooding silences that he was so fond of. A short while later, she was asleep. And theshe was being awoken by Professor McGonagol.

"Miss Weasley, your father has been attacked. Please follow me." she said briskly. Ginny looked at her, bemused.

"Tom?" she thought, as she sat up.

"_Hm?_" he replied drowsily.

"My father's been attacked." she replied sleepily.

"_Mm._" he said before falling back asleep.

**XOXOXOXOXOXO**

She could kill him. If only he weren't inside her head! Her dad was better and she had spent the better part of the day having fun with her family, Harry, and Hermione, but she was furious all the same.

"What were you thinking!?" she yelled, mentally.

"_I did not send the snake that night, Ginevra. One of my own were probably desperate with no word from me and let her out._" He wasn't lying, she always knew when he lied.

"Fine. However, don't think this makes things better, I'm still mad." she said crossing her arms and staring intently ahead. And for several days, Ginny didn't talk to him. Not a single thought aimed in his direction.

"_Oh for Merlin's sake!_" Tom said in exasperation after a few days of this new silent treatment.

"Why do you care if I'm mad?" she asked angrily, still wanting him to leave her alone.

"_I want someone to talk to._"

She pondered that statement for a minute before replying, "You need me don't you?"

He scoffed at her.

"You do!" she said, her face lighting up. "You can't stand me being mad at you because you want to talk to me!"

"_Well, in that sense, of course I need you. I'm not going to very well sit here and be quiet for months on end, the only fun I get is intruding on your life, so I'm quite bored when you ignore me, silly girl._" he said defensively.

"But you _want_ it. You like it. You _enjoy_ being in my mind," she said slyly. And no matter how he tried, he could not convince her otherwise. She was happier then than she had been in a while, and that made _him_ happy, in spite of himself and several rooms away, Harry screamed.

"What just happened!?" she thought, more in general than to Tom. But when Tom didn't answer, she decided to investigate for herself. She sneaked to the room Harry and Ron were sharing and knocked. Ron opened the door and Ginny slipped inside before he could deny her access.

"What's wrong?" she asked Harry.

"Its my scar."

"Whaddaya reckon it means?" Ron asked.

"I don't . . . know, but. . . he's . . . he's really happy about . . . something. . . " he said, rubbing his scar reproachfully.

"Happy?" Ginny repeated, to be sure.

"Yeah. . . someone made him really happy . . . "

"_Bullocks._" Tom said from inside her head as she grinned. "_Boy wants attention._" he growled.

"I'm sure every thing's fine, Harry," Ginny said soothingly. "Just go back to bed."

"_Don't talk to him like that! The attention whoring buffoon. . ._" Tom rambled on many more insults as Ginny said her good nights and made her way to her room without a word to Tom. "_What? You've nothing to say?_" Tom asked incredulously.

"You were so happy, you're emotions carried over to Harry." she grinned, and ignored his exuberant protests, rolling off into a contented sleep.

**XOXOXOXOXOXO**

She had fought his deatheaters at the end of that year, it was one of the times that he was not in her head, but had control of his own body. He had been furious with her for putting herself in that position, putting _him_ in such a predicament. Luckily, they hadn't seen each other at the confrontation at the Ministry of Magic, who knew what would've happened then.

She reprimanded his dark deeds as she would a five year old drawing on the walls and tried to block out the deaths and injuries of people she knew well, such as Sirius. He became her closest friend, but complications arose. Just how close could you be when you couldn't even touch?

**XOXOXOXOXOXO**

**So that was chapter two. hope you enjoyed, remember to review!**


	3. Addicted

**Here is la chapter three.**

**Addicted**

**XOXOXOXOXOXO**

She was sixteen. She was sitting in the Gryffindor common room, her head on Harry's lap as he, Hermione, Ron, and herself talked of school and quidditch and things. Harry was playing absently with her hair and she closed her eyes. This was nice. She couldn't believe she was finally with Harry after all these years. Tom had been angry and sulky for _weeks_, only just now talking to her civily again.

She needed this though. She had been going crazy being so close to Tom and not having anyone to touch or look at. . . so she had latched onto this relationship with a zeal unfamiliar to her. She needed Harry. Not so much for the conversation- that was always the best with Tom-but because he was real. He was something tangible she could put her hands on, touch. And she became addicted to him.

"_This is revolting,_" came Tom's snide voice.

"Oh, Tom, can't I have friends!?" she said, exasperated. He snorted and retreated back into silence. "I need him Tom. Get over it." she said more frustrated. He snorted at her again. "You're not my only friend, you know."

"_We aren't friends._" he muttered moodily. She giggled inwardly.

"Okay," she said sarcastically, knowing full well he liked her more than anyone he had ever known before.

"Fancy a walk, Ginny?" Harry asked after the group had sat several moments in silence.

"Sure," she told him, smiling. They exited the common room holding hands. It was already thirty minutes until curfew so they opted for walking the hallways as opposed to the grounds. After a while of light chatting, Harry stopped and faced Ginny.

"We've been going together for a while now, right?" he asked rhetorically. She affirmed anyways with a nod. "Well, its just . . . all this shit is happening, Gin, and you never know what might happen tomorrow so . . . I want you to know that . . . that I love you." he stated boldly, looking her straight in the eye.

Tom positively blanched. Ginny's stomach fluttered.

"I love you too," she said with a smile and he grinned his charmingly goofy smile.

"Great!" he said, beaming, pulling her into his embrace to kiss her.

"_Oh gross._" came Tom's voice.

"Shut up, Tom." she thought forcefully.

Then a door that had not been there before was there and, still kissing, they entered. The Room of Requirements was perfect as always; equipped with a large bed with Gryffindor colored sheets and hangings, a matching arm chair and ottoman, a desk of sorts, and a fire roaring in the hearth keeping the room warm and cozy. Then they were on the bed, kissing.

"Ginny. . . " Harry said breathlessy, pulling away slightly.

"It's okay, Harry," she whispered back, kissing him. This was perfect, this was just what she wanted, just what she needed. . .

"I've never. . ."

"Me either." And then they were looking into each other's eyes sweetly and began to kiss again.

"_Oh no you don't!_" roared Tom. She ignored him, lost in Harry's kisses, in the wonderful feel of his hands on her back, going beneath her shirt, raising it over her head. . .

"_STOP! IT!_" he yelled fruitlessly. "_I will NOT sleep with HARRY-FUCKING-POTTER!!_" his breath was ragged with exertion. "_In case you don't remember, he tried to kill me!_" Tom yelled. He couldn't let her do this. This was an abomination. His Ginevra could not- would not- sleep with the bane of his existence. But the only reply in her thoughts was a very distant,

"Oh hush, Tom," then Harry took over again, flooding her thoughts with himself and Tom groaned. He yelled a few more minutes and angrier than he had ever been, he blocked himself from her mind.

"Ah!" Harry gasped, pulling back from his kiss.

"What?" Ginny asked, alarmed.

"It's. . . he's so angry. . ." he said, clutching his forehead painfully. Ginny bit her lip guiltily. "But I'm fine," he said, slowly.

"Are you sure?" she asked quietly. His answer was inaudible as he had begun to kiss her neck. Neither of them had done this before. Harry lay atop of her, her chest heaving with the anticipation of what was to come.

"I love you," he said softly, looking in her eyes.

"And I love you," she replied breathlessly. Instantly she reached out her consciousness to touch Tom's and she- for a split second- wanted Tom, not Harry. But as fast as the thought had come, she banished it and Harry was her world. She nodded to him and he slid inside her slowly. She gasped in pain and his eyes widened.

"It's okay," she breathed. "Just give me a second . . . okay," she prompted and he slid backwards and then back into her, all very slowly. He did not climax very soon as everyone said boys did, but rather, brought her to her own climax first. And as she came, he kissed her and she squeezed her eyes shut. She muttered the first sound she had made the entire time- a soft 'oh!'- and then opened her eyes to gaze at Harry's wonderful face while he came inside of her. And immediately after he did, he kissed her mouth and rolled over to lay beside her.

"That was amazing, Ginny. I love you." She wriggled closer to him in response and closed her eyes.

"_That was repulsive._" Tom chided, back in her conciousness.

"Oh, it was amazing." she said happily.

"_If I could puke, I would._"

"If I died right now, I'd be happy."

"_You'd be dead, not happy._"

"Just a figure of speech, no need to be so literal."

"_Just throwing it out there._"

"Whatever. Goodnight, Tom."

"_. . .You wanted me._"

"Whatever do you mean?" she asked, feigning ignorance, her heart beating rapidly.

"_Before he. . . entered you. You wished it was me, I could feel it._"

"No I didn't!" she dined frantically.

"_You know I know, Ginevra. No use trying to pretend it didn't happen._" Ginny hugged Harry's arm closer to her, miserably. How could she ever be happy with anyone with Tom always there, better than everyone?

**XOXOXOXOXOXO**

Owls were done with. Dumbledore was dead. Harry was distant. She was furious with Tom. And she was more furious with herself because she couldn't stay mad at him. Yes, she'd put all her effort into defeating Lord Voldemort, but the man in her head was her Tom, her bestfriend asn as much as she hated it, she loved him. Not the way she loved Harry, but it was love, all the same. He had wreaked havage on the Wizarding World and school, commanding Draco Malfoy to kill Dumbledore and consequently letting the deatheaters into the school.

His funeral was today; she was numb. One side of her ached to cry and mourn, but the other side of her kept telling her she had no right to grieve when she harbored his murderer in her head. So she settled for a kind of serene presence, speaking only when spoken to (which wasn't very much as all her friends were very quiet as well.) Tom had had the decency to not gloat or balk of his victory. It seemed he had retreated far into the depths of her mind, she could feel him if she tried but she could ignore him just the same, which was fine with her.

It was a beautiful day as the entire student body congregated around Dumbledore's expired body. She held Harry's hand tightly as someone she couldn't hear spoke. She had been with him constantly, not once leaving him alone, since he had found Dumbledore's body. He had only left the body on _her_ request. Oh how he trusted her, how he loved her. It killed her. And then she was crying and she knew Harry would have to leave her. Suddenly Dumbledore's body was engulfed in flames and Ginny's tears stopped. And the revelation hit her. She couldn't be with Harry.

Oh God.

She looked at him and found him gazing back at her, both of them with a deep understanding of the other. And then she knew he was honor bound to put every bit of him towards defeating Voldemort. And though she wished he would stay, she didn't expect anything less of him.

"Ginny, listen. . ." he said very quietly as the buzz of conversation grew louder around them and people began to get to their feet. "I can't be involved with you anymore. We've got to stop seeing each other. We can't be together."

With an oddly twisted smile, she said, "Its for some stupid noble reason, isn't it?"

"Its been like. . . like something out of someone else's life, these last few months with you," said Harry. "But I can't. . . we can't. . . I've got to do things alone now."

Oh Harry. She did not cry, she simply looked at him.

"Voldemort uses people his enemies are close to. He's already used you as bait once and that was just because you're my best friend's sister. Think how much danger you'll be in if we keep this up. He'll know, he'll find out. He'll try and get to me through you." Oh if only she could tell him that she was in no danger at all! That they could be together and screw Voldemort because Tom would never hurt her. . . but she couldn't very well tell him that . . . she sighed.

"What if I don't care?" she said, fiercely, thinking maybe if she seemed willing, Harry wouldn't mind.

"I care," said Harry. "How do you think I'd feel if this was your funeral. . . and it was my fault. . ." She looked away from him, over the lake. How could she lose him? She needed him!

"I never really gave up on you," she said. "Not really. I always hoped. . . Hermione told me to get on with life, maybe go out with some other people, relax a bit around you, because I never used to be able to talk if you were in the room, remember? And she thought you might take a bit more notice if I was a bit more--myself."

"Smart girl, that Hermione," said Harry, trying to smile. "I just wish I'd asked you sooner. We could've had ages. . . months. . . years maybe. . ." she sighed.

"But you've been too busy saving the wizarding world," said Ginny, half laughing. "Well. . . I can't say I'm surprised. I knew this would happen in the end. I knew you wouldn't be happy unless you were hunting Voldemort. Maybe that's why I like you so much." She had always felt that supporting Harry, the leader of the revolution for the eviction of evil, would count as some kind of penance for being in love with the most evil man in the world.

Harry opened his mouth to speak then shut it again, apparently finding nothing suitable to say. He cast a glance at Hermione, crying on Ron's shoulder. He looked miserable. Then he got up and walked away, leaving Ginny sitting alone on her fold up chair in shock.

I just lost Harry.

Dear God.

How will I survive? she fretted, wringing her hands and she started crying again and then Ron was hugging her and she sobbed harder. She walked up to the castle with him and Hermione. Everyone was gathering in the Great Hall for a mourning feast. She should've gone to her family, her friends, but she couldn't bear to see everyone.

She ended up in a restroom and sank to the ground holding her knees to her chest; and she cried. And faintly, she felt herself wish for Tom, who had always been there for her. She cried harder. Then, quietly but clearly, a cool, velvety smooth voice slipped into her thoughts to utter,

"_I'm sorry, Ginevra. . ._" and she gasped. She picked her head up to look around wildly, although she knew very well who it was. "_I didn't mean to hurt you._"

She didn't reply, but she blinked her last few tears away and wiped her eyes. She stood resolutely and smiled for a half second. Then she exited the lou and walked determinedly into the Great Hall, ready to face anything life threw at her; Tom- above all things. Not everything was wrong if she still had Tom.

**XOXOXOXOXOXO**

**and there you have it, chapter three. review!**


	4. a new addiction

**Hello everyone. I would like to take this time to say thankyou to all of you lovely people that have reviewed, or added me to story alert, or added this story to their favorites, means a lot people. *wipes away tear* so anyways, here is chapter four.**

**A new addiction**

**XOXOXOXOXOXO**

And because she could not lose Tom, she learned to cope with who he was. She learned to turn her shoulder at the deaths of people she had known, at the further destruction of things that had been stable. She could gaze serenely into the eyes of the bearer of bad news and block it out like a bad movie.

Losing Harry had affected Ginny more than she could have anticipated. Losing such an addiction had cased her to cling tighter to Tom. She needed something to fill the void that the addiction to Harry had left, so Tom became her new addiction, and she held onto it tighter than she had to Harry, he became more important.

So she stopped hating herself for becoming cold to such things, she learned to deal so she could keep Tom, and Tom was . . . well, Tom was everything. Harry had been her cocaine, an addiction she loved to indulge, but Tom had become her heroin, an irresistible substance she both loved and hated. He was not the kind of addiction she could easily let go of as Harry had been.

However, she _was_ losing him; for bits and pieces of time, when he would leave her consciousness to do his dark deeds. And then he would be back again and she could smile, act normal. Tom had just returned from one such trip while Ginny had barely laid down in bed.

"_Hello,_" He greeted in a sultry voice.

"Evening, Tom. How goes the evil front?" she asked, rolling around to find a comfortable position.

"_Quite splendid, thank you,"_ he said cordially, as if discussing the weather over a cup of tea. "_Are you very tired, Ginevra?"_ he inquired, also quite politely.

"It's only ten, of course not. I just came to bed because there's nothing else to do." She made a face.

"_Good, good. I do have a favor to ask of you, my dear."_

"Oh, eh?" she raised an eyebrow.

"I think I've found a way to tap out of your mind for good." Ginny took a sharp intake of breath and felt a small pain in her chest. Sadly, she wondered why he would want to leave.

"But . . . but you love me. . ." she said wearily. He scoffed but didn't address the matter with words.

"_**Any**__ways," _he said, as if he had been quite rudely interrupted. "_I need you to go to my suite in the Malfoy Manor. You can apparate straight inside; I've lifted the wards temporarily." _He sent her a mental image of what the room looked like that she was to apparate to. Ginny searched her mind frantically for a reasonable excuse to refuse.

"I can't, I'm only 16."

"_You'll be 17 in three and a half months. And its not like you don't know how, I taught you a year ago." _

"My parents will freak out," she threw out.

"_As if you don't know how to conjure a look-alike to lie in your bed for a night," _he said impatiently. "_Time is of the essence, Weasely. Are you coming or not?" _She sighed. If she said no, he would be angry for ages, but if she said yes, she might lose him. How would she talk to him once he was in Death Eater headquarters 24/7?

"Fine," she pouted. And the next second, she was in a very regal room with expensive black furnishings and a large bed with black blankets and hangings, with matching black carpet.

"_Go to the bed," _Tom directed from inside her mind. Ginny mad a face at being bossed around but obeyed, nevertheless. Lying on the bed was the most handsome man that she had ever laid eyes on. He had sleek black hair contrasting with pale creamy skin, dressed in plain black pants with a black button up long sleeve, the sleeves rolled up to mid-wrist, and he was holding a blacker than black rose. It was a striking scene and Ginny's breath actually caught in her throat. She felt Tom smirk.

"That's . . . that's _you_?" she exclaimed.

"_Indeed. Behold, my twenty year old body,"_ he said proudly.

". . . twenty?"

"_Yes. My body was seventeen when I rose in the graveyard, having been preserved from the diary in your mind. It has been three years since then, no?"_ he explained smugly. _"And now if you will have a seat, I am going to try and forcibly extract myself from you." _

She complied by sitting in a near plush armchair (black, of course) and waited. Then she felt that Tom had left and she gazed over to his body. She stood quickly to stand beside the bed and saw his eyelids blink open to reveal eyes almost as black as his hair.

"Evening, Ginevra," he greeted, coming to a sitting position. Ginny gasped. She had heard his voice inside her head for years! And when she reasoned with herself, she knew it was quite illogical, but hearing his voice out loud was amazing . . . a musical fiesta to her ears. He stood and was very close to her.

She looked up at him, as he was a good five inches taller than she, and gazed at his flawless face. Then his arms snaked around her waist and she was finding it hard to breathe. He was much to close. Could she get closer?

"This is for you," he stated in a whisper, holding the rose that he had held earlier. It was beautiful in its deadly beauty.

"I . . . thank you," she breathed, looking down, unable to ignore the bewitching movement that was his chest rising and falling, taking in air.

"You want this," he stated again, this time, quietly in her ear. She bit her lip. He took her hands and placed them flat on his chest. She trembled. "I know you want this, I can feel the desire in your fingers. I can smell it, emanating off you like perfume," he added, his lips grazing her earlobe as his voice – a creamy blend of sultry tones and desire – sent shivers down her spine. She didn't reply.

"This will make us one, Ginevra. You will never need someone to fill the void that I could not fill before, like what you used Potter for. I will be you and you will be me. We will create together something together," he breathed seductively, now moving his lips along her neck, one hand on the side of her neck, the other on her waist.

"Join me, Ginevra. I can take you places you have never been; places you could have only _dreamed_ of Potter taking you to. I can open up a world you never knew existed. Will you let me show you?" he asked, his hand now tipping her chin up so her eyes would meet his. She had so for controlled the lust he had awoken, raging inside her, but seeing Tom's equal desire for her nearly drove her wild. She had not prepared herself for defense to this kind of seduction.

"Take me, Tom. Take me far, far away." She said huskily.

He needed no further invitation.

**XOXOXOXOXOXO**

Ginny awoke in a bed of black sheets clinging to her naked body. She smiled and rolled over expecting to see Tom. In his place was a note. A little disappointed, she read it.

_Tomorrow night. Midnight._

_T._

It was a mark of his affection to resign to using the name he had abandoned years ago. She smiled and stretched then winced in pain, bringing her arms to her side. She stood with a grimace and looked at herself in the closet mirror. Her neck and chest were covered with red-purple bruises left from Tom's mouth, her waist and thighs and arms were covered in black-purple bruises from where his hands had grabbed her roughly in need. She could hardly move and it was amazing. Sex with Harry had been nice and all, but it was soft and quiet. This was rough and passionate. Tom had made her yell so loud her voice was hoarse, this new kind of pleasure had awoken a darker demon inside of her. It had been so unlike anything else she had experienced, so dark and rough and . . . bad. She grinned and got dressed, then, with a pop she was gone.

**XOXOXOXOXOXO**

Several weeks later found Ginny waiting anxiously by a window at the burrow. Tonight was the night Harry would be arriving under a cleverly planned disguise. But two groups of people were already supposed to have arrived and Ginny and her mum were worried. Every night for the past few weeks, Ginny had gone to Tom, but they had not talked of his plans for tonight, as she liked to pretend that he and the Dark Lord were two separate people, so she had no idea what was going on

"Mum! Harry and Hagrid are here!" Ginny shrieked upon seeing the two arrive just outside the garden. She and her mother ran from the house to greet them.

Harry? You are the real Harry? What happened? Where are the others?" her mother cried. Harry explained how he and Hagrid had been attacked by Voldemort on the way to the burrow. Her mother ran inside for brandy for Hagrid and Harry looked at her hopefully for information.

"Ron and Tonks should have been back first, but they missed their port key, it came back without them," she said, pointing at a rusty oil can lying on the ground nearby. "And that one," she pointed at an ancient sneaker, "should have been Dad and Fred's, they were supposed to be second. You and Hagrid were third and," she checked her watch, "if they made it, George and Lupin ought to be back in about a minute." She vaguely realized this would have made her mad with Tom before, but she had now successfully accomplished separating Tom's actions and Voldemort's actions and so was now just mad at a faceless man named Voldemort for the wrong doings in the world.

Her mother reappeared then carrying a bottle of brandy, which she handed to Hagrid. He uncorked it and drank it straight down in one.

"Mum!" Ginny shouted suddenly, pointing to a spot several feet away. Lupin and George had appeared.

Later met everyone gathered in suspenseful silence around the couch. George had lost an ear. When Fred arrived, however, George seemed to recover a bit, making a terrible joke about his situation at once. The tension in the room lit up a bit. Harry motioned Ginny out of the room. She acquiesced and followed him out the back.

"Ron and Tonks should be back by now. They didn't have a long journey; Auntie Muriel's not that far from here," she told him in a low voice, knowing he would want to know. He didn't reply. They stopped walking and he looked at her. She knew he wanted to hold her . . . they had been so close. He looked so sad. With a choke, she made sure her jacket was still securely covering the many bruises on her neck.

She wanted to _do _something! She resigned to takin his hand in hers and walking towards the group of people silently staring at the sky awaiting the next arrivals. Once Ron and Tonks had arrive, Ginny ran inside under the pretense of informing her mum, but mainly to get away from Harry.

She still loved him and he still loved her. But she had been with Harry's mortal enemy . . . she didn't know how to feel. She cursed herself and then there was the fact that Harry could not even begin to compete with Tom in any area. She scowled at herself. The news that Mad-eye Moody was dead shook her, and she was flustered to find herself thinking Tom will be pleased.

The night was chaos. Ginny moved around numbly, carefully avoiding Harry. And after the slight shock, she worked herself into a fury. 'My effin brother! And Mad-eye! What the hell was Tom thinking?! And he could fly!' She shook her head at the last thought, determined to not be in awe, determined to be angry. But when midnight rolled around, Ginny made her excuses and appearing to have locked herself in her room, made her way to the end of the protective enchantments around the burrow and disappeared with a pop.

**XOXOXOXOXOXO**

Tom was sitting in a striking lazy pose, sideways in an armchair casually breezing through a large book. His hair fell slightly in his face and the fire near him illuminated his pale features gloriously. It took all her will power to not gasp at the beautiful sight in front of her. He glanced up and ran his eyes over her hungrily. Her jacket had fallen open to reveal a small black cami that defined her chest and showed a bit of her stomach above cut off shorts on barefooted legs. In the chaos of the night, she hadn't changed.

She had arrived more than ready to yell and argue about his actions. But as soon as he had ran his eyes over her and she had barely opened her mouth to begin her tirade, he had walked over to her and pushed his lips ferociously against hers.

"I've been waiting," he whispered seductively and before she had time to speak, he had grabbed her thighs below her ass and lifted her to his waist where she instinctively wrapped her legs around him. And his lips were against hers again.

'I've got to remember to yell at him,' she thought faintly. . . 'but what about?' she tried to remember as he carried her to the bed and they fell gracefully onto it. She was still mad, but she couldn't think of anything but the feel of Tom's tongue in her mouth, his hands ripping off her clothes, her own hand ripping his off. And she couldn't remember why she was mad anymore.

**XOXOXOXOXOXO**

**Kay what'd you all think? **

**REVIEW!!**


	5. the side effects of having 2 addictions

**Oh my lovely reviewers, you are quite lovely. And thank you all so much for adding me to favorites and the like, it is quite kind. So here is chapter five:**

**The side effects of having two addictions**

**XOXOXOXOXOXO**

She opened her eyes to see Tom's chest rising and falling. Her head was in the crook of his shoulder, her body molded to the side of his. Her legs were wrapped around one of his and as he moved a bit, she felt a flutter as his leg brushed against her sensitive spots. She moaned quietly and he opened his eyes and looked down at her.

"Morning," he muttered quietly, rolling a bit to face her, coincidentally brushing the same spot again.

"Morning!" she gasped softly, obviously turned on. He smirked, recognizing her current state.

"How are you?" he asked.

"Good," she moaned as he rolled over to face her completely.

"I can make you better," he offered tantalizingly, pushing her to lay flat and sliding the same hand down between her breasts then between her legs. And using just his hand and occasionally teasing her nipples with his tongue, he brought her to full climax for the fourth time in twelve hours.

"Oh my god," she moaned, pushing her head against his chest in spent exhilaration. He ginned and put both hands behind his head cockily. They lay in silence for a while before Ginny spoke.

"Tom, we need to talk." It was so weird having to converse aloud.

"Oh?"

"Well I . . . I . . . ugh," she stopped in frustration.

"Yes?" Tom prompted arrogantly, knowing full well she had forgotten.

"I don't remember," she said moodily.

"I know, dearest, I know," he replied, kissing the top of her head. She grumbled unintelligible words at him before saying,

"You can't do this every time I'm mad at you," she said grumpily.

"I wouldn't dream of it!"

"Mmhmm," she muttered darkly. "I've got to get back." She said, sitting up.

"What? You can't just leave. . ." he protested

"Oh Tom," she said, exasperated. "You're not just a voice in my head anymore and seeing you requires breaking away from my _real_ life. Get used to it." She stood up and started pulling on her clothes. Tom sat up, looking angry.

"You can't just . . . you can't just leave!" he bellowed. She rolled her eyes and didn't reply. He stood majestically, his face blazing with anger. Still naked, he was an impressive sight to behold. She stared for a second before coming to her senses and continuing to button her shorts. He walked around the bed and grabbed her wrist roughly.

"_I'll_ tell you when you can and cannot leave." He commanded.

"Don't you dare try and treat me like one of your pathetic death eaters Tom Riddle! I am _not_ one of your subjects! I am a _part_ of you, separate bodies or not!" and yanking her wrist away, she pulled on her shirt and disappeared before he had stopped gaping long enough to talk.

**XOXOXOXOXOXO**

She returned to the burrow unnoticed due to all the hubbub Bill and Fleur's wedding was causing. Amidst the noise of the next two days, she heard tale of a rumor that Harry would be leaving with Ron and Hermione on a mission of sorts. She didn't share the information with Tom those nights. He knew she was hiding something.

"Why can't you tell me?" he had asked pitifully.

"You know I don't tell you about the order or warn you about attempts on your life because you never warn _me_ of the things _you_ do, Tom." She had answered stubbornly. But she didn't even know what their mission-thing might be. She decided to try and figure it out on the third night after Harry had shown up.

"I think Mum thinks that if she can stop the three of you getting together and planning, she'll be able to delay you leaving." Ginny told Harry in an undertone, in reference to the many separate tasks the trio had been assigned, as she and Harry laid the table for dinner that night.

"And then what does she thinks going to happen?" Harry muttered. "Someone else might kill off Voldemort while she's holding us here making vol-au-vents?" Ginny felt her face whiten in spite of herself.

"So it's true? That's what you're trying to do?"

"I – not – I was joking," said Harry evasively. They stared at each other. He had to know she didn't believe that lame lie. After all the time they had spent together? She couldn't help remembering the day she had talked him into making love on the grounds of Hogwarts . . . albeit there had been nobody around, It had been extremely exhilarating at the time. And now she was sleeping with the most evil wizard of all times. Exhilarating enough? She winced at her own thoughts. She was glad for the interruption when her father, Kingsley, and Bill walked in.

She found herself crammed beside Harry that evening at dinner; the unsaid things that had just passed between them made her wish they had been separated by a few more people. Her heart ached to see him carefully avoid touching her.

She didn't talk through the rest of dinner. Nor did she go to Tom.

Midnight found her alone in her room gazing at the ceiling from her bed. A noise on her window startled her from her reveries and she cautiously got up to investigate. Her face was an inch from the window when a pebble hit it. She gasped, scared, and backed up. Looking a bit beyond the window was the figure of a man.

"Let me in!" came a faint plea. She opened the window.

"How did you get past the wards?" she hissed, closing the window behind the handsome man who had just climbed in. He brushed a speck of dirt from his shoulder disdainfully.

"I couldn't apparate inside because of the strict no-apparition charm, however, I apparated to the edge of the charms and walked past the charms because they only require the intruder to not mean ill to the inhabitants. And where some might see what I do to you as harmful," he looked hungrily over her body, "—we both know it is mine and your utmost pleasure." He finished roguishly. She stood gaping at him, stunned.

"You . . . you can't be here!"

"I thought we had just established that it was _very_ easy to be here." He began to look around, picking up various objects and setting them down. She stood and waited for him to speak again.

"Why did you not com to me tonight, Ginevra?" he asked, now behind her, his lips at her ear. She didn't answer.

"Have I offended you?" he asked, moving his hands along the waist band of her knickers, as she had been in bed clad only in said underwear and a shirt.

"It's Harry," she told him resolutely, not daring to move.

"Let me help you forget, hm?" he offered in a whisper. He bit the base of her neck, sending shivers down her spine.

"This is my parents' house!" she scolded. "My brothers and parents – Harry and Hermione – they'll all hear!" Tom only grinned. "You couldn't wait?" she asked exasperated.

"I need your body." He whispered, pulling off her shirt from behind, running his hands down her stomach soothingly, up to cup one of her breasts gently in his hands, then to trace the soft bottom curve with a finger, bouncing as he let go. It was nice to hear him admit he needed her, however basic that need might be. "And you need me. I do more for you than Harry ever did, don't I Ginevra?" he asked rhetorically, for he knew it was true and he grabbed the same breast he had been teasing fully in his hand roughly and pressed his other hand between her legs, pulling her against him.

"You need this as much as I do." He said, his voice rougher. He bit her neck hard enough to make her moan and he slipped a finger inside her.

She was wet and aching for him. The fact that she wore only her underwear while he pleasured her still fully dressed excited her even more. He took her wetness as invitation to continue, receiving moans of delight in return. Without warning, he turned her and pressed his lips viciously to hers.

"They will know you are mine." He said strongly.

"Just take me, Tom!" she gasped, tired of talk, wanting nothing but the pleasure only he could giver her. He grinned darkly and pushed her to lay flat on the bed. He stayed standing while she lay there. She was a beautiful sight, moaning loud with each thrust, grabbing the sheets and writhing in pleasure, her whole body shaking from the force he exerted, arching her back at the exact moment he felt he would explode and she came and he was grabbing her waist so hard it was bound to leave bruises and he came as well.

He collapsed on top of her. After a few moments, Ginny spoke.

"I want you to summon me in the day," she stated.

"You would not like the person I am by day, dearest." He said slowly. She made a face.

"I don't want to stand by your side while you kill innocent people. But I'd like to know I'm more to you than just the night. It's not a matter of discussion. I demand it." She said regally. He grinned at her forcefulness.

"If you desire to stand by my side then you shall. You shall be my Dark Lady, my Queen." He whispered, rolling over and curling a strand of her hair around his fingers.

"I do desire it," she said thoughtfully as he traced lazy circles and lines in between her breasts. "But not for your evil purposes. I shall still be seeking ways to destroy you." she informed. She felt him grin as he pulled her closer.

"Of course, darling, of course." And he kissed the top of her head. "I must leave you now, my Lady," he said with a flourish and a kiss. And then he was disappearing through the window and across the lawn. Oh lord, what had she gotten herself into?

**XOXOXOXOXOXO**

It was Harry's birthday. She was still aching from the night before, she could hardly move. At long last, the need for food overpowered her sore body and she slowly made her way to the kitchen.

"Well hello there, nice of you to join us." Her mum greeted with a smile as Ginny took a seat at the table.

"Morning to you too, mum." She replied lazily. Molly laughed.

"It's almost dinner! Not morning, for sure," she said brightly.

"Then I suppose I'll wait for that," Ginny decided. "Mum, I think we need to strengthen the enchantments on the house." She murmured, looking her mum straight in the eye. Molly looked taken aback.

"Why would you say that?"

"I've just . . . There's a loophole. The enchantments should ban To-Voldemort and his death eaters specifically."

"But . . . how on earth would you know what the enchantments entail?"

". . . extendable ears?" she threw out, hoping her mum would believe it. Molly threw her a suspicious look but didn't continue as people started trickling into the kitchen for dinner.

"What were _you_ up to last night?" Fred asked quietly, elbowing her ribs as he and George sat on either side of her once the room was quite busier.

"Giving Harry his birthday present, eh?" George grinned from her other side, mirroring Fred's elbow nudge to the ribs. Ginny was saved from answering because Harry, Hermione and Ron had all walked in and everyone shouted "Happy Birthday!" and the food arrived on the table. But when the novelty of the food began to wear off, the twins began to assault Ginny with their good-natured, brotherly pestering.

"And is he the same one who's been leaving all those bruises?" George asked.

"No! I'm not sleeping with Harry, for the last time!" she reprimanded happily, glad at their fun.

"Then who?"

"Bah. Voldemort, for all it's your business," she grinned at her private joke. George acted indigent and Fred laughed.

"Fine, fine, baby sister. But be ye forewarned, we will find out!" he said mysteriously and then they stood and clapped Harry's back with a 'Happy Birthday' and left.

"But I've just told you who." She said softly to herself and found herself listening in vain for a comeback from Tom. Even after a month, she was still getting used to him not being inside her head.

After dinner, she saw her mother talking in hushed voices with a few other adults and then they all set outside with wands and began circling the grounds. Ginny smiled satisfactorily. Now, without worry of Tom intruding, Ginny could do something she felt she needed to do.

She caught Harry's eye in the living room later that night and he forfeited a game of wizard's chess to walk to her. Hermione took his place opposing Ron, assuming Ginny would be requiring Harry's attention for a while.

"Would you come in here with me?" she asked, referring to her room.

"Of course," he breathed, following her.

"Is anyone else still awake?"

"Just us four."

"Good." She closed the door behind him. Harry looked over a desk that faced an open window which looked out over the orchard where they had played two-a-side Quidditch with Ron and Hermione. Ginny looked up into Harry's face, and took a deep breath. Tom was going to kill her.

"Happy seventeenth."

"Yeah . . . thanks." She looked at him steadily, repeating the mantra: 'I need to . . . for him . . . I need to . . . for him . . .' He kept shifting his gaze.

"Nice view," he said feebly, pointing towards the window. She ignored the comment. He didn't really blame her.

"I couldn't think of what to get you." she said.

"You didn't have to get me anything." She disregarded this too.

"I didn't know what would be useful. Nothing too big, because you wouldn't be able to take it with you." then she was more sad than she had been, fully realizing what was going to happen. She might never see him again. It only made her more resolved in her decision. She took a step closer to him.

"So then I thought, I'd like you to have something to remember me by, you know, if you meet some vela when you're off doing whatever you're doing."

"I think dating opportunities are going to be pretty on the ground, to be honest."

"There's the silver lining I've been looking for," she grinned. And then they were kissing sweetly and Ginny sighed because of the monotony of it. Oh Tom was going to kill her, she thought as he slid off her shirt. Thank god she had turned out the lights; she couldn't bear it if Harry saw the bruises and marks left by a man much better at this than he . . .

She pushed the thought away. She would _not_ spend her, very possibly, last time with Harry thinking of Tom. This was the first time, in fact, that she would do this with_out___him. Then she was nervous. Oh god! She needed Tom! What was she doing!? And by the time she managed to push Tom out of her mind, it was done. Not because Harry was too early, but because Tom clouded her mind like a gas until Harry was in her no longer.

"Oh, Harry," she murmured apologetically, though he took it as a lover's sigh and smiled.

"I love you, Gin."

"I love you too." She replied. Of course, she no longer loved him the way she had. How could she when she had experienced Tom? But he was her first love and a decent man, there was no need to hurt him when a lie was so simple. The door swung open as soon as the words had left her mouth. She pulled up the covers hastily.

"Oh," said Ron pointedly. "Sorry."

"Ron!" Hermione was just behind him, slightly out of breath. There was a strained silence, then Ginny said in a flat little voice,

"Well, happy birthday anyway, Harry." Ron's ears went scarlet; Hermione looked nervous. Harry looked angry. Ron and Hermione turned politely to allow them to get dressed. Harry looked at Ginny, wanting to say something, but she turned her back from him. What had she done to him? Oh she was a terrible, terrible person. For the first time in front of Harry, she almost cried. Harry saw her close to tears, but couldn't do anything to comfort her in front of Ron.

"I'll see you later then," he said sadly and followed the other two out of the bedroom. Ginny could hear them upstairs, Ron yelling at Harry. Like it was his fault. She choked back a sob, then hated herself more because she wanted Tom and because she acted on that and left to see him.

**XOXOXOXOXOXO**

**So that's chapter five. Member to review!**


	6. Being Queen

**I must tell you how wonderful it is to get such encouraging reviews, for those of you who are worried however, yes, Draco will appear in the fic; he is coming. **

**And now I give you chapter six:**

**Being queen**

**XOXOXOXOXOXO**

"Tom!" she croaked, tears threatening to spill over her eyes as she appeared in his suite. "Tom!"

She collapsed on an armchair and stared vacantly at the roaring fire lit only for her, as Tom preferred the cold. She produced a dry sob at that thought and shifted her gaze to the hundred year old brandy on the shelf by the bookcase. She blinked once to decide then was at the shelf pouring herself a drink. It was smooth and wonderfully intoxicating. She poured another . . . and another. She set the glass down and stood in front of the fire. Then she was swaying to music that wasn't their. Tom walked in.

"What kept you?" he asked coldly.

"Harry," she breathed.

"Again?" he scoffed angrily, folding his arms across his chest.

"Yes . . . this room is very pretty, Tom . . . it was his birthday today." She said spacily, still swaying to the unheard tune. "I'm a terrible person." She said, sad again, then sunk into a chair, holding her head in her hands.

"What did you do?" he demanded harshly, not changing his angry pose.

"I wanted to be with him . . . one last time . . . for . . . closure." Tom's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"You fucked Potter." It was more of a statement than a question.

"Y-yes." She stammered, then burst out into proper sobs with tears. He glared unsympathetically.

"Then damn right you're a terrible person; going behind my back like that," he said cruelly. His mind flashed to what he would have done to a death eater for such blatant treachery. Ginny laughed maniacally.

"You think _that's_ what I feel bad about?" she shrilled. His nostrils flared but she continued before he could react. "No . . . I'm a terrible person because he still loves me . . . he still loves me and I know he thinks there will be something when this is all over and done with, but I know there won't be. He thinks I still love him the same . . . but, how could I after I've had you?"

"Do you mean to insinuate that _I_ ruined you for _him_?" he hissed, striding the length of the room and bending over her face. Ginny leaned further back and laughed again, a high pitched, bitter laugh.

"Oh I wish that were so; it would just be a mistake he could forgive but . . . I didn't just sleep with the enemy, I'm in _love_ with the enemy!" she sobbed, reducing to fetal position in the chair.

Tom staggered back in shock. He hadn't made her "fall" for him . . . she had done it of her own volition . . . A strange string pulled inside him and he suddenly had a headache He looked towards his brandy and saw quite a bit missing. He cast his eyes back to the beautiful girl crying on his armchair. He knelt and lifted her face with a finger.

"You've been drinking," he stated gently. She looked at him in shock. That's all he had to say? She had expected to be kicked out; the brooding silent treatment for days . . . anything but this.

"I . . . yes."

"Come," he said. She tried to stand. When she started to fall backwards, he caught her and picked her up.

"Oh Tom," she said tenderly, touching his face. Something burned inside him. He walked to the bed and laid her down. "Oh, Tom . . . take me," she breathed, unbuttoning her pants. Then the gentleness was gone and the cold fury returned.

"Why would I touch something Potter just used?" he said disdainfully, leaving the room.

**XOXOXOXOXOXO**

She looked at herself in the mirror. Fleur had chosen a lovely shade of gold for the floor length bridesmaid dresses. Ginny tried to smile, but couldn't quite, remembering yesterday. But there had been those few moments when he had let his guard down . . . His parting statement was nothing left than expected, she had slept with his mortal enemy after all.

Oh well.

No sense fretting over spilled potion. She smiled in spite of herself.

'I will have a good time.' She told herself.

"Ginny! Two minutes!" she heard Fleur yell, and with a final check in the mirror, she left the room.

The wedding was beautiful, the only complaints coming from Auntie Muriel (including a complaint about Ginny's plunging neckline.) Ginny momentarily forgot her worries and troubles just looking at Fleur and Bill as they spoke their vows. The reception was equally magnificent when all of a sudden there was a lynx patronus interrupting the party and the voice of Kingsely Shacklebolt erupted from it's mouth.

"The ministry has fallen. Scrimgeour is dead. They are coming."

Ginny gasped.

Pandemonium broke out as everyone screamed and ran in every which direction. Ginny didn't know what to do. Would Tom have told his death eaters not to harm her? Did he take the ministry out of anger at her? No, that was ridiculous; he had been planning to commandeer the ministry for years. And as she had no answer to the first question, she found it prudent to run.

Then they were there; the death eaters. Vaguely, she saw the golden trio disappear through the chaos of the death eaters casting curses and guests running helter skelter. She smiled triumphantly at their escape only moments before she was hit with a stunning spell. Someone almost trod on her hand, she couldn't yell to warn them. Then she was unstunned and,

"Where are they girl!?" a high pitched voice asked frantically. Bellatrix. Ginny sneered. This was the bitch always trying to make moves on Tom. Bitch.

"I have no idea who you are talking about," she said imperiously, pushing herself up off the ground.

"Oh you don't?" Bellatrix mocked. "Well let's see if I can give you a hint! Crucio!" and Ginny was writhing in pain, screaming. She landed on the ground in a heap.

"Want to tell me now?" Bellatrix hissed. Ginny pushed herself to a sitting position and wiped a trickle of blood from her mouth.

"How is it," Ginny began. "That you were sent on such a pointless mission?" she was furious. She wanted nothing more than to piss Bellatrix off. "To-Voldemort would've known that Harry would be gone by now . . . have you lost favor, then, Lestrange?" she asked in a mock curious voice.

"You have no idea how the Dark Lord orchestrates things, girl! I am his most trusted! And how dare you use his name!" she screeched, her wand dropping a degree. Ginny took her chance.

"Expelliarmus!" Bellatrix, caught unaware, lost her wand and flew backwards.

"You will pay for that," Bellatrix hissed at Ginny.

"Oh will I? I do believe _I_ am the one with the wand here," she said coldly and began to walk away. "Oh, wait, I've a question for you," she said, turning back to face the furious woman. "Aren't you the woman who _wishes_ to be the Dark Lord's lover?" she said mockingly. Bellatix turned bright red.

"If the Dark Lord had need of carnal pleasure, I would be his first choice." She replied, puffing her chest in compensation.

"I'm sure," Ginny snorted. And deeming it wise to leave while she was ahead, she turned on her heel and stalked away, leaving a seething Bellatrix in her wake.

"Is there anything else I can do" Ginny asked her mum. They had spend the better part of the evening repairing the damages done to the yard and tending to those hurt in the skirmish.

"Mm . . . no, dear, I think we'll be okay for now, you go get some rest," Molly answered.

"I think I'll take a walk. Don't wait up." She said, and left the house.

Ginny mumbled to herself angrily as she walked away from all the people so no one would see her dissapparate. How dare he? Oh he was going to have a piece of her mind! She thought, working herself into a frenzy as she walked. And Bellatrix still thought she had a chance with him? Oh she would change that! She would have it know that _she_ was the Queen. She could not have people coming against her like that! And when she was quite alone, she dissapparated to the Malfoy Manor.

**XOXOXOXOXOXO**

Draco Malfoy was among the twenty five or so death eaters in the room as Lord Voldemort spoke to them, angry at losing Harry again. He surpressed a yawn at the monotonous speech and wished for something exciting to happen. Just at that moment, a gorgeous red head clad in a lovely golden gown strolled through the entrance doors. How the hell did she get in? Who the fuck was she?

"That's her!" Bellatrix whispered from his right. She had just told him of a girl who had disarmed her and dared to tell her that she was not the Dark Lord's favorite. Draco knew it was the latter of the two that infuriated his aunt the most. He watched the girl curiously, as did everyone else as she stalked to the front. She looked familiar. Was she the Weasley girl? . . . she was! How did she get here? Was she going to try and take on the Dark Lord single handedly? Surely not . . .

But there she was. Striding the length of the room powerfully – confidently, even – and stopped right in front of Lord Voldemort. He hadn't killed her yet; perhaps he, too, was curious as to what this girl imagined she could possibly do.

"I told you he favored me," came his aunt's smug voice. He raised an eyebrow at her. "He summoned her here to kill her for her insubordination to me, just you watch." Draco didn't reply.

Then the girl raised an arm and slapped Lord Voldemort straight across the face.

"How dare you!" she scolded. Draco, along with everyone else in the room, opened his mouth. Bellatrix smirked at the girl's now certain death. The Dark Lord opened his mouth to speak but she continued. "My _home_, Tom?" One death eater actually fell out of his seat. Was the girl confounded? Who _dared_ call him by his birth name? "I could've been hurt!?" she finished, and then crossed her arms in a pout.

"You insolent girl!" Lord Voldemort roared. This was more like it, thought Draco, resettling in his chair. "How dare you speak to me that way! I am the Dark Lord!"

"Oh hush," she said dismissively, rolling her eyes. "Don't try and act big with me Tom Riddle," she said furiously. "That bitch used crucio against me!" she whined pointing a finger at Bellatrix. Several death eaters laughed out right. So? Lord Voldemort turned his head to Bellatrix.

"Is this true?" he asked Bellatrix quietly. Bellatrix smiled, sure she would be rewarded.

"Yes, my Lord." He raised his wand and with a bored tone said, "Crucio."

Then Bella was writhing on the ground, much to everyone's shock. After a few moments, Tom jerked his wand away and Bella fell onto the ground. Lord Voldemort turned his head back to the red-headed beauty.

"Happy?" he asked.

"Yes," she beamed. "Are you almost done?" she asked happily. Lord Voldemort scowled.

"Yes," he answered.

"Then I'll wait in our room," then she was on her tiptoes giving Lord Voldemort a kiss and she left. As soon as she was out of the room, Lord Voldemort rolled his eyes.

"My Queen." He said in way of explanation, leaving the room in shock. "Dismissed." He said to his death eaters and then left the room swiftly. Draco joined the rest of the room in looking at the door in confusion.

Who would've thought that the only one Tom would ever heed to would be a blood-traitor _woman?_

**XOXOXOXOXOXO**

**So that's chapter six. Do review my lovelies.**


	7. Never what you thought

**A la chapter siete. Read and enjoy my beauties.**

**Never what you thought **

**XOXOXOXOXOXO**

"Ginny . . . I'm worried about you," Charlie said over dinner one night. Her mum and Dad were deeply involved in a conversation with Lupin and Tonks and were not paying attention.

"Why?"

"You've been gone a lot lately and no one seems to know where you're going . . ." he said in reference to the past two months when she had been gone every night and sometimes days at a time; time which she spent glorious days and nights with Tom, sometimes even getting out of bed to take a meal or a walk! But of course, she could not tell Charlie that.

"I told you, I've been staying with Luna. Her house is just on the other side of the village," Ginny told him, hoping he would believe she had told him before.

"There are rumors of a red-headed beauty that the Dark Lord has taken to. They say he disappears into his rooms with her for hours, days, and nights; sometimes whole weekends," he said, looking at her pointedly.

"Are you suggesting that _I_ am in leagues with the Dark Lord?" she asked, recoiling convincingly.

"No! It's just . . . if you're being imperiused or anything . . . you should let somebody check you out . . ."

"I have _not_ been with the Dark Lord and I would appreciate it if you would trust me," she said angrily, standing up and storming away. How the fuck!? She was going to have to work on the secrecy issue . . . But then, there was only a month left until school . . .

Tom insisted she go. She was all for dropping out. She probably knew just as much as the teachers, what with all Tom had taught her. How would she survive when she only got to see Tom sporadically through the weeks? She needed more time!

**XOXOXOXOXOXO**

"Tom. There's only a month until I leave," Ginny brought up as they lay curled naked in bed that night, smoking something he had introduced to her a few months back. It was very mellowing to smoke.

"Yes," he replied taking a hit. He rolled over and exhaled into her mouth. She took the joint from him and took a hit of her own. She waited a few seconds before continuing.

"We won't be able to see each other as much."

"I've been thinking about that too. I want you to move in." he said slowly, a shadow crossing his face. There was something he wasn't telling her.

"Instead of going to school?" she asked hopefully.

"No, until you go to school."

"Damn. When?"

"Tomorrow, Ginevra. I want you to be here to stay by tomorrow night," he cooed, turning to her and running his hand down her body, reveling in her spent beauty.

"I'll be here," she promised. He kissed her neck, her chest, her stomach, back up to her chest, and neck, her shoulder, her arm and finally, holding her hand up, he brought it gently to his lips then laid his head back down, gathering her body against his.

"I love you, Tom," she said matter-of-factly. He grinned and closed his eyes but didn't reply. She rolled her eyes playfully. He was such a little kid in this area; wonderfully addicted to her love but not wanting to admit it. "And I know you love me too." She said for him, closing her own eyes, and they fell asleep.

**XOXOXOXOXOXO**

She had told her mum she would be staying with Luna until the beginning of term. Molly was, naturally quite upset at the prospect, refusing to allow it. Ginny, having exhaustd all other logical reasons as to why she should be allowed, resorted to a low card.

"I don't feel safe here, Mum! I was crucio-ed a month ago!" she had exclaimed. It had hurt her to watch her mum's face fall in sorrow, feeling as though it were her fault. Ginny had turned her own head so she would not cry. After that her mum had agreed to let Ginny go, but lost her happy demeanor. She hugged Ginny tight that night and didn't let go for quite sometime.

"I love you, Ginbear. You are the best daughter I could have ever asked for," she said, choking on a sob. "I'll come see you off at King's Cross." Ginny had teared up and gave her love before dissaparating.

Now she sat in a drawing room of Toms watching the fire crackle merrily and smoking a bit of something he had left for her. Tom was currently hunting down some wand or something but would be back soon. The past month had been lovely with Tom. They stayed in bed most of the time that he was home, but they did other things as well, the most entertaining being when Ginny attempted to teach Tom to cook with no magic.

She attended meetings at his side, though now in large cloaks with heavy hoods. The death eaters knew it was the same woman who had once dared argue with the Dark Lord, but they had no further chance to identify her. They thought, at first, that she was some fragile type of seer that was indispensable. But they left rooms with her attached to his arm. In fact, there had not been a time all month when they had seen their Lord without the mysterious girl on his arm, which meant one of two the girl was more powerful than Voldemort and had enchanted hi or they were actually lovers. Either way, it would probably be beneficial to get in the girl's good graces.

Which is just what Draco Malfoy decided to do; she _did_ live in his house after all. However, it had proven to be a difficult task. The Dark Lord left at sporadic times so by the time Draco found out that he had left, he was already back. Then, a week before term, Draco got his break. From his window, he saw Lord Voldemort ant the Lady walking on the grounds, then Tom disappeared and the Lady began to walk to the house by herself. Draco hurried down the stairs to meet her at the door. Strategically, he opened the door as soon as she arrived. He bowed low.

"Hello," he greeted. Then standing up straight he gazed into the eyes of none other than the Weasley girl. It _was_ her! How could the Dark Lord be lovers with a blood traitor like her?

"Hello, Malfoy," she said warily. It took him a moment to catch his bearing then, realizing that she was – blood traitor or not – the quickest way to promotion, stuck out an arm.

"May I accompany you to your suite?"

"What if I'm not going to my suite?" she asked. Draco stammered.

"Well I . . . I can take you somewhere else . . ."

"Am I in such danger in your house that I have to have a guard?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No! I was just-" at that moment he looked at her face to see her eyes shining merrily, a smile on her face. He exhaled and smiled. "You had me going," he admitted. She laughed; a wonderful, clear sound.

"You death eaters are so fun to rile up!" she exclaimed taking Draco's arm and latching on casually with both hands. "So serious!" she said in her best imitation of a man's serious voice. "To my rooms then?"

"Y-yes," said Draco, beginning to walk, not quite sure what to say.

"I'm Ginevra, by the way," she told him.

"Yes . . . you cast a bat bogey hex on me two years ago." The girl, Ginevra, laughed again. The same beautiful sound. He smiled.

"I do wonder why you are being so polite, you hate my brother, and my whole family I thought," she said calculatively. Draco ran several answers through his head then chose,

"I was apparently mistaken in my judgments if the Dark Lord deems you a worthy, ah . . . companion." She laughed again and Draco puffed out his chest. He could see why the Dark Lord liked her. He liked making her laugh

"You're not the first you now." She said as they began to climb the first flight of stairs.

"Excuse me?"

"You're not the first," she repeated.

"Yes, but I'm not the first _what_?"

"To try and use me. It's useless, you know. I'm not going to give any of Tom's death eaters any more arrogance by saying they're in league with his Lady. I fight for the Order still and they obviously don't get a break from him, what makes you people think you're more important than my family?" Draco looked taken aback. What in the world was she playing at?

"Does _he _know that?"

"Of course he does, silly boy. He knows everything." She said simply. Made him wonder if he knew just what they were doing at that very moment . . . he looked over his shoulder instinctively. "Anyways, try to suck up all you want, it won't do you any good." And with that, she stopped and turned into a room, shutting the door in his face.

Draco smiled. She was something else.

**XOXOXOXOXOXO**

Ginny ran a comb through her hair, humming and thinking of what had just transpired. She had disliked Draco very much until last year when he didn't kill Dumbledore. Her respect for him had, unwillingly, risen a few notches; he wasn't a complete puppet. Perhaps she'd let him entertain her. Maybe he would turn out to be okay; a friend even.

But enough of Draco, she was meeting Tom tonight at a hotel in Diagon Alley! He was going to see her off at King's Cross, no one knew what Tom looked like now, except his death eaters, so he wouldn't be recognized. She deemed her hair passable and looked at her trunk. Tom was going to have it sent to their rooms. She needed to leave soon, it was getting late.

At the hotel, Ginny walked to the front desk where a short, plump witch with gray-blonde hair sat.

"I've a reservation under Tom R." she told her. The witch nodded and handed her a room key.

"Its room number 9." Ginny thanked her and went to wait in the room for Tom. She decided to take a shower since he wasn't there yet. She had just stepped out of the bathroom wrapped in a white towel when Tom walked in. He looked at her and inhaled sharply. She grinned at him.

"Hiya," she said huskily. He didn't reply but, rather, crossed the room and placed in hands on her arms and kissed her fiercely.

"You are gorgeous," He said strongly, looking her very seriously in the eyes. Ginny looked at him questioningly, it wasn't like him to hand out compliments.

"Thank y-" she started, but he was kissing her again. There was a sort of desperation in his kiss and then they were kissing like they never had before. In one fluid motion, he lifted her and put her on the bed and kissed her from above her. That night they became one like it was their last chance in the world. There was more sweat, more passion, more moans than ever before and afterwards, he held her so tight she could hardly breathe, as if afraid she would disappear if he let go.

She was having trouble keeping her eyes open, so she closed them. It was a little while later, so she wasn't sure if she were dreaming or not, but she heard Tom say:

"You love me," in a voice so tender, full of wonder and awe. She smiled, in her dreams or awake, she couldn't tell, but she was happy in his arms.

**XOXOXOXOXOXO**

When she woke up, he had already left. She ordered room service breakfast and the maid told her that anything she wanted was being put on a tab and then gave her an envelope with her name on it. Ginny opened it right away to find a Gringott's key and a note.

Ginevra,

This is the key to access my fault. Take whatever you need to buy your school things.

--Tom

She shoved the key in her pocket excitedly, pulled on a jacket and headed out to go shopping.

She returned that night with so many bags she could hardly unlock the door. Tom's vault had been huge! She had bought all new things; new robes, books, quills, sweets and other unnecessary things. And she hadn't even made a _dent_ in his many piles of gold and silver. She threw herself on the bed, exhausted but smiling, to wait for Tom. He wasn't there by midnight and Ginny, accidentally, fell asleep.

The next morning, he still wasn't there. Where the fuck was he? He had never left without telling her. He didn't show up the next night or the next, by the final day of the week, Ginny was furious. How _dare_ he invite her somewhere and then ditch her! So she made a trip to his vault, then bought a firebolt, then proceeded to fill a bag with money that would last her the whole school year.

'Hmph. Teach him a lesson,' she thought angrily. But when she woke up the next morning and he was still not there, she was more worried than angry. Sadly, she repacked her trunk, got someone to shrink it and dissapparated to King's Cross. Once on the platform she looked around in vain for Tom. She didn't see him.

But he _had _to be there . . . he wouldn't just leave her . . . He couldn't! . . . he loved her . . . she knew it! . . . right? . . .Yes! Yes, he loved her! But then, the lastn night they were together, she had known something was wrong. It had been the best sex of her life, but she could feel the desperation, the sadness in him. She mentally kicked herself as she heaved a dry sob. Oh god, he had been saying goodbye and she hadn't even noticed. She shut her eyes against the flood of tears threatening to erupt. She didn't get to say a proper goodbye . . . She felt as thought she might throw up. She looked around, scantly hoping he would turn up and say "Sorry for being late, I was just looking for the perfect ring, will you marry me?"

"Looking for someone?" a voice drawled behind her. She exhaled and turned happily, to happy that he had turned up to remember to be mad.

"I thought you weren't going to – oh, hi Draco," her face fell as she saw him. He had sounded so much like Tom . . .

"Oh, come now, don't look so sad to see me, pet," he said with a wink. Ginny gave him a weak smile.

"I haven't seen him all week!" she gushed, on the verge of tears. Draco raised his eyebrows. Ginny shook her head, the tears leaving with the shake. Her face returned to a furious form once again. "Son of a bitch is going to get it," she muttered threateningly, still trying to convince herself he was going to come back. Draco was saved from having to reply when a loud whistle from the train invaded the peace of the platform as it signaled that it was about to leave.

Ginny's parents appeared, then, looking frantic. Her mum caught her out of the corner of her eye and trotted to her.

"Oh, Ginny, we thought we'd miss your train!" she cried, pulling Ginny into a tight hug. Ginny smiled and hugged her.

"I'll wait on the train then . . ." Draco said awkwardly, walking away. Molly eyed him suspiciously then back at Ginny. Noticing her daughter looked quite sad, she became alarmed.

"Dear, what's wrong?" she fretted. Ginny burst into tears when her mum asked her in that way that only mothers can. "Oh, honey . . ." she said soothingly, pulling her back into a hug, patting her back.

"Mum, I don't know where he went, I haven't seen him all week and I'm s-s-scared!" she poured out and the tears that had been behind her lids all day spilled on her mother's shoulder. Molly exhaled in relief. At least it wasn't anything to do with that horrid Malfoy boy.

"There, there pumpkin, I'm sure it will be just fine. But listen, there's the last call, you'd better go darling. I love you sweetheart, never forget, okay?" she said tenderly, moving Ginny's hair out of her face. Ginny sniffled and gave a watery smile.

"I love you too, Mum." Then her dad was hugging her and she gave her goodbyes before running to the train. As soon as she boarded, she turned to look once more for Tom. He was no where in sight. She waved to her parents until she could no longer make out their silhouettes then, with a sigh, she turned to find a compartment.

She sat by herself, carefully avoiding her friends and, more importantly, Draco. She stared out the window. He wasn't coming back. She began to cry. She cried until no more tears would come out. And when that happened, she became numb. The train lurched to a stop and she turned herself on autopilot.

**XOXOXOXOXOXO**

**Dun dun duuuuuun!!!! Anywho. . . remember to review, I turned off the anonymous disabler so you don't have to log in anymore to review (just for you moonlight)**


	8. numb

**So this is chapter eight. I was really excited to write those last few chapters, I've been so motivated and whatnot, what with my own torrid affair with my own man just like Tom. . . sigh . . . **

**Anywho, I need to add another disclaimer as I stole the idea for the next few chapters from Stephanie Meyer's twilight saga.**

**Numb**

**XOXOXOXOXOXO**

_September . . ._


	9. elipsis

**Chapter nine**

**. . .**

**XOXOXOXOXOXO**

_October . . ._


	10. elipsis again

**Chapter ten**

**. . .**

**XOXOXOXOXOXO**

_November . . ._


	11. waking up

**It has come to my attention that several people are confused with chapters 8-10. They are quite intentional I assure you, I took the idea from Meyer's Twilight saga when Bella and Edward split up so . . . yah, sorry about the confusion. But now we have chapter 11**

**Waking up**

**XOXOXOXOXOXO**

Draco had been watching Ginevra Weasley for the past few months. She was not who she used to be; this new Ginevra hardly ever spoke. And when she did, it was in hushed, forced tones. She quit quidditch; she walked by herself; she never smiled. Something had happened that much was obvious. He had thought at first that Voldemort had simply tired of her, but that thought was quickly erased. The Dark Lord still erupted in anger at any red head he saw; he cursed Bellatrix for calling Ginny a whore and the woman was bedridden for two weeks. Apparently, Ginevra was still on the Dark Lord's mind, whether they were talking or not. So Draco was still intent on befriending her, for his own gains. So far, all his efforts had been fruitless, it was as if the girl had put herself on autopilot.

It was time for extreme measures.

**XOXOXOXOXOXO**

Her days were routine.

Wake up.

Shower.

Dress.

Eat.

Classes.

Lunch.

Classes.

Homework.

Bed. No free time. She allowed herself no time where her mind could simply wander. She kept her thoughts strictly on school and repeating the phrase "he's gone. . .he's gone." She didn't think she'd ever have a normal life again. In fact, there was really no point in living anymore at all . . .

That sneaky idea had wormed its way inside her head and itched to be contemplated. So she did just that, contemplated it. What if? What if she just took her own life?

She woke up on the last day of her life, oddly at peace, more peaceful than she had been in a while. She went through her daily routine one last time. She didn't cry, but was rather _relieved_ that this was the last time she would have to endure all this. She paid more attention to what she was about to leave behind.

This was to shower. This was to dress. This was mascara, this was blush.

This was to force down food so her peers would not question.

This was to go to class.

This was to do homework that she would never turn in.

This was to grab her broom and sneak out.

This was to rise higher in the air than she had ever been.

This was wind in her hair.

This was closing her eyes and enjoying something for the first time in months.

Then, with a terrible rip in her mind, all the memories she had managed to block were flooding her thoughts. She shut her eyes hard. She would not cry, it would all be over in a minute.

This was sitting on a broom, thousands of feet in the air.

This was pushing herself off and falling.

**XOXOXOXOXOXO**

Draco's 'extreme measures' meant tailing Ginny closely. One such day, she looked oddly peaceful. Scarred and hollow, yes, but as if she had come to terms with whatever had left her for dead. Maybe she was getting over it. Just to be sure, he would tail her for a few more days.

He had head boy duty that night and, like always, he was patrolling the Gryffindor corridor, as was his frequent haunt. But this night was different. It was what he had been waiting for! There she was, Ginevra Weasley, slipping out from behind a portrait. He stood against the wall, in the shadows, not wanting to scare her into going back behind the portrait. She walked with a broom in hand, her gait smooth and serene, oddly enchanting . . . he shook the last thought out of his head.

He followed her from a distance all the way to the quidditch pitch. She flew high and then higher still. What was she doing? And then she pushed herself off.

Holy shit!

He had to do something!

She was falling quickly. He pulled out his wand.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" he yelled, putting all his force into the spell to deflect the velocity her fall had gained. She jerked and stopped in mid-air. She lay limp and Draco lowered her to the ground.

**XOXOXOXOXOXO**

She was falling. It was amazing. The only time she had felt this alive was when she was with Tom. The thought only affirmed her decision. Then suddenly her body hit something. This wasn't the ground, it was too soon after she had jumped, it felt like she had hit some invisible wall. Her neck jerked up and she blacked out.

She woke up in a room with dark mahogany furniture and dark green drapes ad hangings on the bed.

Was this Heaven?

. . . No . . .

Heaven would have black furniture and deep black sheets, not green. Heaven would have a bottle of some exotic liquor on the shelf by a bookcase. Heaven would have a fire roaring in the hearth. Heaven would have that deep black armchair just to the left of the fireplace. Heaven would have a burn in the carpet by the bedside table, from a cigarette, accidentally dropped in a heat of passion.

No, this was not heaven.

She sighed.

She had wanted it to be over. There was a time when this predicament would have excited her. She would have reveled in the mystery and adventure and the simple elegance of the room. But now she was just upset that she had to think.

She sat up and immediately laid back down as the blood rush to her head was unbearable. She put a hand to her forehead.

_Oh Tom, why did you have to leave me?_

The door opened.

"Tom?"

**XOXOXOXOXOXO**

Draco had just gone down to breakfast and had brought some back up with him for the girl. He opened the door.

"Tom?" he heard her ask; her voice so pathetic and tender and hopeful. He winced in pity for the poor girl.

"No, it's me, Draco," he explained gently as he walked in.

"Oh." The disappointment in her voice was not disguised. "Why am I here?" she asked. The words sounded forced, as if she had not spoken in years.

"I saved you last night. Then you wouldn't wake up, so I brought you here."

"Saved me?" she said in sardonic, bitter amusement. She pulled herself up to recline against the pillows in a half sitting position.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" he asked, harsher than he had intended at the ungrateful girl before him. She turned her head and fixed her hollow brown eyes on him pointedly. She looked like she was dying; it was quite a chilling gaze. She held his eyes a while before speaking.

"My death was to be my salvation," she said, looking away. Draco put the plate he had brought her on the bedside table. She looked at it but didn't touch it.

"Why in the world would you try to kill yourself? Whatever happened, it can't have been that bad." Ginny's body produced a ghostly bitter laugh that chilled him to the bones. Not at all the laugh he had yearned to hear more of that day at the manor. They both cringed at the sound.

"It _is_ that bad. I don't want to do this anymore," she said calmly.

"Do what? _Live?_" he scoffed. "I figured the girl that had ensnared the Dark Lord would be a bit stronger than that."

"You don't understand," she said angrily. He snorted.

"Whatever." Apparently, the only emotion the girl knew besides misery was anger.

"You're pretty fucked up, Malfoy. You should've just left well enough alone." She glared at him.

"_I'm_ fucked up? Excuse me but, I'm not the one jumping off of brooms here," he said haughtily. She drew herself up as indigently as she could while being under heavy blankets.

"Like you could _ever_ understand."

"Make me."

"Make you _what_?"

"Understand." He looked at her intently and sat on the end of the bed, nowhere near her. She looked at him in a different way now, like she was adding him up. She didn't offer an explanation, but her whole demeanor changed. Very civilly, she asked if the breakfast on the plate was for her.

"Yes, it is," he answered. And though he could tell she didn't want to, she ate a few bites, to thank him for bringing it to her. He smiled.

"Thank you," he said. She raised an eyebrow.

"For what?"

"Eating." He still wore a half smile. She gazed at him steadily. The same dead look. But his smile was infectious. The corner of her mouth twitched and half of her mouth turned up in a smile. Draco broke out into a full grin, he was sure she hadn't smiled in months. But as soon as it was there, it was gone, and she was staring at her food confused.

How could she smile when Tom was not with her? Her half attempt at a smile fell and she looked down at her hands, confused. What was happening?

"Its okay, you know. You're allowed to be happy," Draco said encouragingly. Her eyes filled with tears.

"I don't know how to without him . . ."

"How to what? Be happy?"

"_Any_thing. I don't know how to _feel_ without him!" she said, frustrated, tears rolling down her face. "Except for sad," she added as an afterthought. Draco felt a sudden surge of anger at his Lord and master that had left her like this. He found he wanted very badly to make this girl in front of him happy again, to hear the care free beautiful laugh he had heard before, not the dry, dead laugh she had made a few minutes ago.

"I'll teach you," he said, surprising himself. Ginny looked at him with a caged curiosity and then burst into proper sobs.

**XOXOXOXOXOXO**

It was as if somebody had taken a veil out from in front of her eyes. She began to look sideways as she walked to her classes, letting her eyes wander from thing to thing as opposed to staring down or straight forward. A slight variation occurred in her routine: after class, she would visit Draco.

Draco felt an odd protectiveness for the girl he had been spending all his nights with. He wanted to heal that large open wound she was carrying around with her. It had been killing her, almost had at one point, but he felt it closing up. She smiled some now, not often, but sometimes. And every time she did, he soared. A wonderful airy feeling filled his stomach and his chest and lifted him. Everything about her endeared her to him. She was incredibly funny and witty, without even trying. She would say something he found humorous and he would laugh and she would make adorable confused faces, as if wondering why the hell he would laugh at something she said.

Her low self esteem was heartbreaking. She had been so vibrant and confident before, now she was quiet, accepting and any opinion she had was muttered without conviction. But she was coming out of that, with his help. He was proud of his accomplishments. He loved watching her coming out of her shell. He found himself oddly attached to her, even when he wasn't with her, he was thinking about her. She consumed his mind like a vapor unwilling to leave its vial. His friend, Blaise, asked him what was wrong with him, and all Draco could do was smile guiltily. Blaise knew. And slowly, Draco knew.

He loved her.

By the gods Draco Malfoy had fallen in love with this fallen angel. The angel discarded and left for dead by Lord fucking Voldemort. Ah, but an angel she was. Beautiful and perfect. She just needed to be reminded how to fly.

If he ever wanted her to even look at him in a fraction of the way he looked at her, she would need to get over the Dark Lord. He supposed he couldn't do it on his own. So he reminded her she had friends, people who cared about her that she had been ignoring all year.

"Just sit with them at breakfast and talk to them."

"I don't even know what to talk about!" she replied, distressed at his ludicrous proposal that she talk to anyone but him. "I talk to you and you're all I need!" she said stubbornly. His chest swelled with pride at her words but his reason kept him firm with his decision. She needed more than him. Without other people to take his place as a friend, he could never be more than just that, her friend.

"Just try it. For me?"

"Oh, Draco, don't make me!" she pleaded.

"One time, if it doesn't work out then you don't have to try it again." She glared at him moodily, crossing her arms in a wonderful imitation of a pouting Tom.

"Fine," she conceded.

And so it was that Ginny sat with Collin, Neville, Lavender, and Parvati at breakfast the next morning.

"Good morning," she greeted quietly, nervous. The four of them looked at her in shock. Parvati was the first to come around.

"Welcome back," she said with a grin. Collin also grinned; Neville laughed out loud.

"Great!" he said loudly, happily. Ginny smiled, shocked at the revelation that she had missed them. Lavender glared and turned back to her oatmeal. Well, she had missed three of them, anyways.

"Don't let her bother you," Neville said, not bothering to be discreet. "We're glad you're back. You're . . . okay now?" he asked, tentative. Ginny paused before answering.

"I'm working on it," she said softly.

"Brilliant!" Neville said animatedly and they included her as if she had never left. But they seemed so . . . childish . . . innocent. She would never be able to relate to them again . . . She sighed. This wasn't going to work. She would tell Draco she had tried.

**XOXOXOXOXOXO**

**So? Let me know what you think!**


	12. falling in love

**So, i'm pretty angry because i typed this whole chapter and it got deleted somehow so now its not going to be as good cause i don't quite remember everything i had typed. so anyways, here's chapter 12: falling in love**

**XOXOXOXOXOXO**

"What do you mean, 'it won't work'?" Draco asked, raising an eyebrow. He and Ginny were currently sitting on the floor playing a weird card game in his dorm room.

"They talk about quidditch and clothes and . . . all I want to talk about is Tom," she said sadly. Dracko hated the Dark Lord more every time Ginny spoke of him.

"That's what you have _me _for! Talk to them about quidditch and clothes, force yourself if you have to, you'll feel better about it in the end."

She nodded, then laid down a card to win the game. "I won!" she exclaimed, wrinkling her nose in happiness. He laughed, a loud booming and laugh, and Ginny noticed that his ears moved slightly when he laughed, and that made _her _laugh. Draco gasped; Ginny stopped laughing instantly.

"What?"

"I . . . I had forgotten how beautiful your laugh was," he said softly, in awe.

She looked down and blushed. "Thanks," she mumbled. Draco stood up and stepped to her side to pull her up and hug her. She made a muffled noise into his chest.

"Hm?" he asked.

"I . . . can't . . . breathe!" she chocked out.

"Oh," he said with a sheepish smile, letting her go.

She looked at him in her odd perceptive way, the openly curious stare she sometimes gave people. "I will never understand you, Draco Malfoy," she said.

Draco smiled down at her. "Meet me by the lake at the break after lunch tomorrow, okay?"

"Er . . . okay."

She had forgotten about the lake.

There was a fresh layer of snow on the ground after lunch, Ginny could see it out the window.

"Where are you going?" Parvati asked as Ginny made to turn down a different hallway than the one her friends were taking.

"Oh, I'm meeting a friend for break," she said simply, walking away before they could question her.

"What other friends does she have?" Lavender asked rudely.

Parvati glared at her. "Be nice." Lavender just shrugged her shoulders in a you-know-its-true way.

"It _is_ rather curious," Neville added thoughtfully.

"Probably Luna, they used to hang out a little," Collin tossed out.

Parvati nodded her agreement. "Probably," she said, with a note of finality for the topic, and the discussion was over.

Ginny had forgotten how beautiful the lake was. She stood by the edge, her bag a few feet away, skipping rocks poorly on the water's surface. She had just thrown a particularly bad shot when Draco arrived.

"You're flicking your wrist wrong," he greeted. She turned to see him as he picked up a rock and skipped it perfectly across the water.

She cocked her head curiously. "Do it again," she demanded. He smiled and acquiesced. She tried to copy his every move, but her rock still sunk as soon as it touched water. "Again," she commanded. He laughed and showed her again. She failed once again and screwed up her face in frustration. "Again!"

Draco obliged again, and Ginny still failed at her every attempt to skip her rocks.

"Ugh! Stupid rocks!" she said angrily, picking up several rocks and throwing them angrily at the water, then fell into a heap and began crying. Draco's eyes rose in alarm. What the hell was he supposed to do?

He eased himself onto the ground beside her and stared at the lake. He picked up a twig and began twirling it in his fingers. "Want to talk about it?" he said finally, not really sure if that was the correct dialog he was to use under such circumstances.

Apparently it was for she immediately burst out with, "I can't do anything right!"

Draco's face folded in pity. Oh Ginevra. How could he possibly hope to cure her when her wounds ran so deep?

"I'm not good at anything," she said sadly.

"Now, what in the world would make you say that?" Draco asked.

"You saw the rocks! I can't do anything! Besides, if I was good at something he'd still . . . he'd still be mine," she sobbed.

_Him._

Draco's face contorted in anger and he accidentally broke the twig he was holding. Lord-fucking-Voldemort again.

"Look at me, Ginevra," he said fiercely. She looked up through her water dropped lashes, surprised at his harsh tone. "First of all, I hardly think that just because you can't skip rocks means you aren't good at anything, that's quite ridiculous. Secondly, you can do loads of things, don't tell yourself you can't, I know you can't. And finally, He did not leave because you're 'not good at anything.' He left because he couldn't see what was right in front of him." The words surprised him. He had not realized how open he had become with the girl.

"How do you know?" she whispered, looking back down at the ground.

"He is evil, darling. Nothing about him is right or good, so he could not possibly have something in his life as pure and beautiful as you. Look, Ginevra, you deserve someone better than him. It's time to move on."

She didn't reply, but kept staring at the ground, shivering as the snow she sat on was seeping through her robes.

"Come on," Draco sighed, standing up. "Lets get you inside." He had planned this trip to be full of laughter, reminding this girl of the beautiful things in the world.

Fuck Voldemort for ruining something for Draco, once again. They walked in silence up to the castle.

"We've got a little bit of time left before class, my room?" he asked. Ginny nodded and they made their way to his dorm.

"What are you doing for Christmas?" Draco asked her suddenly.

"Staying here. i don't think I could bear my family's questions about why I'm . . .why I'm like . . . this," she said slowly.

"Come with me," he said, surprising himself with his impromptu offer.

She sighed. "I don't know if that's such a good idea, Draco."

"Oh come on, it'll be fun!" he said, getting excited at the new prospect.

"That's where Tom and I . . . Draco . . . I lived there for a month with him . . . I don't know if I could handle it," she trailed off. Draco felt that burning surge of anger flare up again. Why did Voldemort have to fuck up everything!

Draco took several deep breaths, in and out, to control the shake in his voice. "The manor is huge, we won't go anywhere near the Dark Lord's rooms or wing."

Ginny didn't reply. Maybe she should go. Like Draco said, it was time to move on. Maybe a trip with her best friend, which was what Draco had become, was just what she needed.

Or maybe she would see _him_ . . . maybe she could remind him that he loved her . . .

"Okay, I'll go."

Draco looked shocked at her quick decision then his expression turned into elation. "Brilliant!" he cried, stopping and picking Ginny up into another tight bear hug. She half smiled, then felt a little guilty. He was so happy and she was using him to see her old love. She felt bad . . . but not bad enough to change her mind.

"I thought you were staying here for Christmas," Parvati said, questioningly as Ginny walked up to them. She was holding a bag of things and she had come down to the Great Hall where all the students leaving for the holidays met, so it was assumed she had decided to go.

"I've been invited to a friend's for Christmas, but I can't seem to find him," she explained airly.

"You should've told us you changed your mind, we would've waited for you," Neville said apologetically.

"Oh, it's fine, I'm fine."

"Who are you going with anyway?" Collin asked.

"A friend," she said evasively, blushing. Collin was about to ask who again when Ginny spoke. "And I think I should go look for him, Happy Christmas everyone, bye." she said, and walked away.

"Probably some nerdy git to shag to make herself feel better," Lavender scoffed, not caring that Ginny could still hear.

"Lavender! Be nice!" Parvati scolded. But they all watched intently as Ginny walked across the room to see who she would go to. Their mouths all dropped when she walked straight into the arms of none other than Draco Malfoy. And not only that, but she looked up and they kissed. A long, passionate kiss. And it was Ginny who pulled away first, not Malfoy, but her face was flushed and she was smiling. They left holding hands.

_What??_

"Nerdy git, eh, Lavender?" Neville laughed, pushing her shoulder. Lavender was staring after the couple angrily. How in the world did quiet little Ginny get a man that she would kill for??

Draco looked around the Great Hall for Ginny. They had decided to meet with everyone else, although they would be dissapparating as soon as they were off Hogwart's grounds, forsaking the popular train. He spotted her with her friends and waved, she didn't see him so he pretended to be scratching his head awkwardly.

After a moment or two, she walked away from her friends. A few steps away and her face contorted with anger. The next second, she saw him. She set her face resolutely and walked towards him with an intense eye contact. She didn't stop when she got to him but pushed herself right against him and looked up. She stood up a little straighter and put her lips firmly against his. He opened his eyes wide in shock. Was this really happening? Then, not wanting to waste a second of the odd phenomenon, he put one hand on the small of her back, the other in her hair and pulled her closer to him. He kissed her back fiercely, trying to pour the months of pent up emotion into her, so she would understand. She pulled away, a little flushed, a little confused.

Nobody had seen the episode except her friends. She took his hand, surprising him yet again, and they left the hall to get a carriage off the grounds.

**XOXOXOXOXOX**

**finally, some d/g fluff! hope you liked it. remember to R&R :]**

**plus, i just started another story its draco/ginny/blaise called Dusk and Summer. **

**go check it out: .net/s/4726756/1/Dusk_and_Summer **


	13. of love and other things

**I'm soooooo sorry about the wait guys, I just started college and I've been busy moving in and then getting settled in and acquainted to all my classes and working out and shit so yeah. PLUS my laptop broke so I have to use a computer lab. You guys better appreciate it : D**

**Chapter 13: of love and other things**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

" . . . Don't get me wrong, that was amazing but . . . what was that for?" Draco asked as he and Ginny sat quietly in the carriage to Hogsmeade. Ginny blushed and half smiled then mumbled something.

"I'm sorry, what?" Draco asked.

"My . . . friends . . . were surprised when I said I would be spending Christmas break with someone. Then that bitch Lavender said, thinking I couldn't hear, that I had probably found some ugly git to shag to make myself feel better. That pissed me off so, to prove her wrong _and_ make her insanely jealous, I made it look as though I'm shagging you . . ." she blushed again and gave him a sheepish smile.

He stared at her for a few seconds then burst out laughing. "So you used me, eh?" he said jovially.

She smiled a bit bigger. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Glad to know I am good enough for your usage," he grinned then posing as if accomplishing some major feat.

She laughed. "Your ego's big enough, I can't believe I fed it," she said, shaking her head in faux disappointment.

"Ah, Ginevra, you wound me," Draco said dramatically, clutching his chest.

Ginny rolled her eyes then looked at him thoughtfully. "You didn't just kiss me."

"I beg your pardon?"

"There was . . . that kiss was . . . more to you," she said in deep concentration.

Draco felt a feeling of bubbly excitement rising in his chest. "Yes."

"Why?"

"Come now, Ginevra," he prompted. She _had_ to know. But she just looked at him, still confused. The excitement in his chest fell a notch. How could she not know? He had made it so obvious . . . hadn't he? Of course he had. But that god damn Voldemort had fucked up her reasonability. He was angry for a second before calming himself.

"I thought it was obvious," he finally said.

She blinked at him. "Apparently not," she said with the same steady look.

"Ginevra, I love you."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Ginevra, I love you," he said, looking straight in the eye. The words shocked her. She gasped and closed her eyes. He couldn't love her . . . that was absurd. And even if he could, why would he? There was nothing special about her, obviously, or Tom would still be hers.

"Well that's just silly," she concluded resolutely, looking at her hands.

He moved across the carriage and took her face in his hand, gently pushing her to look at him. "You're amazing, Ginevra," he said firmly. "You're funny and smart, you're deep and cute, you are beautiful . . . gorgeous. You are my best friend, I-"

"Well, that's just it, we're bestfriends-"

"No," he said confidently. "We're much more than that. I think you know it, but you're too scared to admit it. Chicken," he goaded, good naturedly.

She shook her head vigorously. His words stirred something odd inside her. Something she had kept down for a long time. She hadn't even known she knew it, but there it was, she knew that her best friend was more than jut a best friend. She kept shaking her head, though.

"No . . . no," she said. She wouldn't be able to love again, not like she had with Tom, she had known that much for months. Why give the poor boy hope of something she couldn't possibly give him.

"Why not?" he asked softly. She didn't answer. Draco felt the excitement fall back down and a deep sadness enveloped him. Fucking Dark Lord.

The carriage lurched to a stop and Draco grabbed their bags. Ginny followed.

"Apparate to the manor gates," he said in a voice so full of sadness that Ginny teared up. Draco disappeared with a pop and Ginny stood still on the spot.

Tom had ruined everything good in her life and now he wasn't even here and was destroying the only good thing she had left.

Draco was waiting impatiently at the gates. As soon as she appeared, he tapped the password with his wand and began to walk briskly up the drive.

Ginny looked around. There were the peacocks Tom had hated so much. There was the path they always walked. She made sure Draco wasn't watching and stole a glance at Tom's window in the top left wing. It was dark. She hadn't really expected to see anything, but still, she felt a pang of disappointment.

Looking deep in though, Draco wasn't speaking to her. She followed him meekly into the house. They didn't run into anyone as they walked into a part of the manor she had never been in before. He turned sharply and walked quickly, it was hard to keep up without resorting to a jog. He stopped abruptly at a door.

"Your room," he said, opening the door and setting down her bag. "My room's there." He pointed at a door a ways down. "You hungry?" he asked with a defeated tone that made Ginny tear up again. She shook her head, fighting the urge to cry. "I'll come get you for breakfast." With that, he left without ceremony, leaving her standing in her room alone.

Ginny choked back a sob and walked into her room. It was elegant and the bed was the same as Tom's had been. She burst into tears, then, and threw herself onto the bed. She punched her pillow in frustration and lay there crying for a while. Did everything have to be so fucked up? She did love Draco, but he deserved so much more than she could give him! Once she had cried all the tears that she could she sat up.

Then she knew what she had to do. She walked to the window. The stars were out and the moon was almost at the top of the sky. Was it that late already? Ginny wiped her eyes and walked to the door. Peeking out to check that the hallway was clear, she scampered out and around the corner.

It took her a while to find Tom's suite and when she did, she started having second thoughts. What would she do if he wasn't there? What would she do if he _was_ there? But her feet took her down the familiar path to his room with no consideration of her hesitation in thoughts. She opened the door slowly without knocking and stepped inside. There was the familiar bed and hangings, the chair, the expensive brandy, the burn in the carpet. . .

She walked to the bed and ran her hand over the fine cloth and sighed.

Oh, Tom.

She felt the back of her throat burn in that familiar way. She squeezed her eyes shut to block the tears threatening to flow. Do you even know what you did to me? She stepped out of the room and closed the door. She stood alone in the hallway a few seconds then headed back to her new room.

Ginny lay on her new bed on top of the comforter that felt a lot like Tom's. She was dressed for bed and lay there thinking. Draco was her best friend. He at least deserved to know the truth. The whole time they had been friends, he had not begged a single detail from her, but had befriended her blindly. He deserved to know. He wouldn't love her if he knew. Maybe she could keep him from loving her, if she just explained. She was so fucked up and used . . . and he was amazing . . . he needed to know. But she didn't want to lose him as a friend . . . she needed him! Oh, how she needed him. He was the only one that kept her sane while she was not in Tom's arms. She should tell him. No, maybe not. Oh, curse it! She sat up and walked to the door. Maybe if she went to Tom they could make things better . . . She choked back a sob. She couldn't do that to Draco . . . he would be crushed.

Tears were running down her face. She tiptoed down the hall and opened the door quietly.

Draco hadn't been able to sleep all night. She didn't even want to _try_ and love him. She was so vehemently against it! Oh if she only knew how much she hurt him. He heard his door open and rose his head to see Ginny closing it behind her. She was only in a small cami and boy cut underwear. He fought the flutter in his stomach remembering her rejection of his advances.

She backed up against the door, pressing herself to it like some kind of life jacket.

"Yes?" he asked, in a voice more cold than he had intended. Ginny cringed at his tone and he felt a twinge of remorse.

"I'm scared," she breathed. He looked at her expectantly. She let her eyes run over his exposed body, his chest and abs and arms . . . "I can't . . . I need you as much as I needed Tom . . ." she paused and when he didn't say anything she continued very fast and emotional. "You are a part of me and I didn't realize that. It's terrifying Draco . . . I still dream of him you know. But I need you just as much and I don't know what would happen if you left me too . . . I wouldn't even be a shell of a person, I don't think I would survive at all . . . I'm scared to try this again . . . And I don't think I'll ever be able to give you everything. I'm so fucked up from Harry and then Tom, I'm so fucked up and used in every way you could imagine. I fucked myself up when I fucked over Harry and then _I_ got fucked over and now I'm just fucked up, Draco. I don't have anything to offer you but, if you want . . . I'll give you want I can . . ." She bit her lip and looked up at him through tear dropped lashes.

"Oh, god, Ginevra," Draco choked out, getting out of bed and crossing the room in three large strides. He looked at her fiercely and, cupping her face, he kissed her. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him back, just as fierce, determined to show him she would do her damndest to forget Tom.

She was kissing him back. He had been dreaming of this for months. He picked her up by her bottom and she wrapped her legs around his waist, not breaking their kiss. He carried her to his bed and laid her down gently, kissing down her neck and shoulders. She gasped quietly when he kissed her mouth again, playing with the bottom of her shirt. She sat up to allow him to take it off. When he had it off she fell back onto the pillows. He looked at her. Her face, her neck, her bare chest, her stomach, her legs. He ran a hand across her chest.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked seriously. She didn't want to give him a fake answer so she thought about it. At first she had decided she would to prove that she didn't need Tom, but now, with Draco speaking to her like that, she knew. By the gods, she loved him!

"Because I love you, Draco," and as if that was exactly what he needed to hear, he clung to her like he would never let go and she found herself holding on just as tight. It was unlike anything she had experienced before. Her love making with Harry had never been so passionate and the sex with Tom had never been quite so loving. Harry had always been too tender and gentle and Tom, she was sure, didn't know what those words meant.

Afterwards, they lay there quietly shaking, holding hands by their heads. After a while, Draco rolled onto his side and looked at her.

"You are the only girl I have ever fallen for, Ginevra," he whispered. She bit her lip in guilty happiness. She was so ruined for him. He kissed her sweetly on the lips. Everything was so different about him, so perfect, _so _what she needed. But he deserved so much more . . .

"What are you thinking?" he asked, brushing hair off her face.

She quickly weighed several answers and settled on the truth. She rolled to face him. "You deserve better than me."

"Don't ever think that, you're _perfect _for me," he said passionately. He took her silence for acceptance. She rolled to face away from him so she could mold against him. He wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her neck.

"This is so right," he said quietly. "Good night, Ginevra . . . I love you," he said, placing another kiss on her neck.

Ginny smiled. "And I love you, Draco." She closed her eyes, still smiling. And for the first time in four months, she slept without dreaming of Tom.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**There you go mon cheries! I do hope you enjoyed! **

**R&R!!!!!**


	14. ho snap!

**Thanks for all the reviews guys, its really encouraging to see how much all of you like the story. Thanks again!**

**Chapter fourteen: ho snap!**

The days to follow were the happiest Ginny had ever seen Draco. They had fun at the manor; he showed her the places she had been too preoccupied to see when she was with tom. They ate in the kitchens, they played in the snow like children she laughed so hard she cried – surprising herself and thrilling Draco. They couldn't get enough of each other; the simplest touch as they were passing would ignite and they would be tearing at each other's clothes and going at it no matter where they were: outside in the forest or in the middle of the patio on the fountain, in a common room, in the kitchens, on the Quidditch field, in nearly every room they walked into. She felt her need for Draco become deeper throughout the break.

Christmas day had found Ginny curled in Draco's arms in his large bed. They woke to each other and whispered, "Happy Christmas," and Ginny giggled.

The presents her family had sent her had found their way to her. She felt guilty as Draco handed her a small box, she hadn't gotten him anything. He had kissed her, reading her thoughts, "Don't worry about it love, having you is quite enough." And she had blushed. He had gotten her a beautiful necklace, a simple silver cross with a small diamond in the middle. She hadn't taken it off since.

They had had dinner with his family that night.

"Mother, Father, I'd like you to meet my . . . girlfriend, Ginevra," he had introduced and she walked into the familiar dining room. His astonishingly beautiful mother had gasped; his father looked slowly from boy to girl.

"You are on dangerous ground, Draco," Lucious had said. Draco had just pulled Ginny tighter to him. She hadn't been sure why he was on dangerous ground, she _was_ pureblood after all. But that man had been the reason that she was Tom's girl through and through. She hadn't known whether to hate him or thank him.

"_He_ left _her_, I'm not moving in on his territory," Draco had said stubbornly.

"You know how he still obsesses over her, boy. I'm not telling you what to do but I do warn you, tread carefully." Draco had nodded and Ginny had stared at the man in shock.

He still thought of her? Draco had looked at her some what worried. Not wanting to hurt him, she had smiled at him and they had enjoyed a surprisingly pleasant dinner, if some what awkward. She had managed to forget about the predicament and enjoy the rest of the holiday as Draco's – and _only_ Draco's – girl.

But now, with his head asleep in her lap in a carriage, without his voice and conversation to distract her, she couldn't help but remember what Lucious had said. She hated herself for thinking it, but couldn't help it. When Draco awoke and looked up at her, all the thoughts of Tom were washed away by a flood of pleasant thoughts brought on by Draco.

She grinned.

"Morning sleepy head," she said, kissing him.

"Mm, morning," he said with a grin, sitting up. "I've got a question," he said suddenly.

"Okay . . ."

"Are we going to be . . . official . . . and all that?"

She looked at him thoughtfully. "You know, I do think it's time these people learned some unity," she grinned.

"Great!" he said victoriously.

She laughed. "We've got about ten minutes you know . . ." she said suggestively, and with a grin they began to kiss.

"They might be friends but they are _not_ fucking. He's only her friend out of pity or some such."

"Oh, Lavender, stop being bitchy."

"Well! Malfoy never goes after girls! He waits for them to come to him and practically _beg_ him to bed. Seeing as how Weasley has been the living dead all year, I doubt she went after him," Lavender explained haughtily on the carriage ride back to school.

"You're just jealous that he's never noticed you!" Neville said, defending Ginny.

Lavender flipped her hair pretentiously. "I could get him if I wanted, especially if _she_ could.

"It _is _hard to believe though," Collin said. Parvati and Neville shot him nasty looks. "Let me explain!" he squeaked. "I mean, it _is_ true about Malfoy. And Ginny, where as she's normally really outgoing, this year she _has_ been kind of . . . dead . . . excepting when we roped her into stealing Gryffindor's sword with us a couple of weeks ago."

"Do you think she's all dead or whatever because of Draco?" Parvati asked in a wild whisper.

"Nooo . . . I mean, I don't like Malfoy or anything, but she smiled when she kissed him . . . and she _has_ been better the past month," Neville said sowly.

"I want to know what was – is – wrong with her," Collin said.

Parvati then clasped her hands together dramatically. "Oh what if she's involved in some tragic type of love drama and Malfoy came in on a nice white horse and rescued her from all her pain, oh wouldn't that be romantic!" she said breathlessly wistful, gazing dreamily upwards. The boys and Lavender stared at her in disbelief.

Parvati shifter her eyes and put her hands down. "Just a suggestion," she mumbled.

"I want to know what's up with her and Malfoy," said Lavender. "It's got to be a hoax. They can't be friends and they _definitely_ can not be fucking."

The three remaining chorused, "Oh shut _up_, Lavender!"

"Stay with me tonight?" Draco requested, kissing down Ginny's neck as they were getting dressed.

"Blah. I've got detention," she said grabbing her duffel bag. "We're about to make a scene, you know."

"The hell did you get detention for? And no we're not, the carriages have been stopped for fifteen minutes now, no one will see us getting out together." He said, stepping out of the carriage and helping her down.

There was indeed no one there; she blushed and stepped out. "I didn't realize we were . . . for so long . . ."

Draco smirked and kissed her forehead as he put an arm around her shoulders. "So how did you get detention?" he asked, surprised.

"Oh, Neville, Luna and Collin wanted to steal Gryffindor's sword out of Snape's office a couple of weeks ago. I've got detention every Monday for two months."

"Fuck . . . wait . . . we were talking then, why didn't you tell me?" he pouted.

She laughed. "At that point in our relationship is was more of _you_ talking to _me _than anything."

"Meh. Same difference." When they got inside, they sent their bags ahead of them and stood in silence in front of the Great Hall doors.

"_Now_ we're going to make a scene; notoriously celebrated death-eater's son and notorious blood-traitor's daughter together," Ginny said with a sigh.

"You scared?" he whispered. Ginny gave a genuine laugh, shaking off her jitters.

"No, I just can't wait to see the look on everyone's faces, the girl who tricked Malfoy into a real relationship."

Draco looked at her confused. "But _I _had to trick _you_! I will not have you taking credit for all my hard work!" he said indigently.

Ginny laughed. "But no one will believe that," she said simply. "You are the hit it quit it guy. Every girl wants to capture you in a real relationship, I'm surprised you haven't knocked anyone up yet, Merlin knows these girls try the craziest schemes to ensnare you, but I digress, I am certainly the last girl anyone would have expected to catch you, after how I've acted this year; they don't know the real me."

"Oh that's just ridiculous," he said pompously. She just shook her head knowingly.

"Shall we go then?" he kissed her and, putting an arm around her waist, they opened the doors.

"You think she's okay? Luna's not here yet either," Parvati said worriedly over the Gryffindor table. They were already eating and Ginny and Luna were still both absent.

"I'm sure they're both fine," Neville said from beside her. Just then, Lavender's jaw dropped and Collin's eyes widened in the direction of the doors. Parvati and Neville turned to see what was up along with the rest of the school.

And there was Ginny, her arm around Malfoy, his arm lazily draped around her waist. She was laughing up at him and he was grinning down at her, looking like he had accomplished something great. The whole school watched and then began to whisper insanely.

Draco looked up and around and made eye contact with Ginny's friends. He whispered something to Ginny and jerked his head towards them. She made a face and looked pouty. He made a stern face and said something and she looked pouty again. He laughed sweetly and kissed her. She smiled and walked towards her friends as Draco took his seat at the Slytherin table.

Ginny sat in such a way so she could make eye contact with Draco. Immediately, they were swarmed with people asking questions, but they didn't break eye contact until Finny had to turn her head to push away a particularly annoying questioner.

"What's going on?" Parvati asked excitedly.

Ginny half grinned. "I would've thought it was obvious," she answered, spooning food onto her plate.

"You have to give us more than that!" Neville protested.

She smiled mysteriously. "Vultures," she explained, nodding her head to the many eaves droppers leaning in their direction.

"Ah," Neville nodded. Lavender rolled her eyes and the topic was dropped.

"You have detention with me tonight?" Ginny asked Neville.

"Yeah," he replied darkly.

"Is it the sibling professors?" She asked.

"Yeah, lucky us, eh? Makes you miss the good ol' days with Filch, eh?" he said wistfully.

Ginny gave a wicked grin. "We'll give 'em hell."

Neville smiled widely. "That's my old Ginny!" he half shouted. She saw Draco cast a quick glare at Neville from across the room and Ginny laughed as Collin pulled her into a one armed hug. She made a sheepish face at Draco and shrugged. She had missed this, her reckless abandon with her friends. Tom had ripped that away for a while; thank Merlin for Draco picking her up before it was too late.

As soon as Draco had sat down, he was pestered with questions all around. But he didn't acknowledge or look at anyone except Ginny until she broke eye contact to push somebody's head out of her face. Then he gave in to the people surrounding him.

What the fuck were you doing with her?" Pansy Parkinson asked bitchily.

Draco ignored her and looked at Blaise Zabini. Blaise was a death eater too; he had seen Ginny with the Dark Lord. They exchanged significant looks.

"You're walking a dangerous line, Malfoy," he said quietly.

"How is he walking a dangerous line?" Pansy asked intrusively. Neither of the two men answered her.

"_He _left _her_," Draco answered Blaise, still staring intensely at him.

"_Who_ left her? And why does it matter?" Pansy asked. Again, she went unacknowledged.

"You know how he still is."

"How who still is?" Pansy whined.

"Then he shouldn't have left her!" Draco said angrily. "You should have seen her, she was basically _dead_ without him and he was just going to leave her like that!"

"Who was going to leave her like that? And why the fuck does it matter?!" Pansy asked, exasperated.

"Like that will matter to him? She's the only person in the world that he ever felt anything for. The only person in the world that could ever be used against him," Blaise said darkly.

"Who are you guys talking about?" Pansy asked again, now more suspicious than intrusive. Just then, Crabbe and Goyle walked up to Draco and sat by him, apparently having moved from the other end of the table to talk.

"Wasn't that girl you were with the Dark Lord's mistress?" Crabbe asked nonchalantly, grabbing a roll. Blaise and Draco both squeezed their eyes shut at the boy's stupidity.

Pansy laughed. "As if! The Dark Lord would never be with a blood traitor like Weasley! . . . Right?" she stopped laughing when she saw Blaise and Draco exchanging a look.

She gasped. "No! . . . That's not . . . how could . . . _that_ girl was sleeping with _the_ Dark Lord? How the hell . . ." her voice trailed away in shock.

"It is prudent, Parkinson, to hold you're tongue about matters concerning the Dark Lord," Blaise said coldly.

"Especially matters that don't concern you," Draco continued. "People tend to disappear when they are caught spreading things the Dark Lord would rather be kept quiet. Am I understood?" Draco said darkly.

Pansy nodded in shock. _She_ was the redheaded beauty everyone had heard about? Her parents had been trying to set her up with the Dark Lord since his body rose again when she had been fourteen. All the work and planning to be ruined by a blood traitor like Weasley! And not only had the bitch got him in bed, but Pansy had heard that the Dark Lord was genuinely besotted with the girl and would do anything she told him to as if . . . as if he loved her. It was said he called her his Queen, his right hand. _That_ brat? The Dark Lady? But her whole family fought _against_ the Dark Lord, in fact, the girl herself had been a part of a silly little club called "Dumbledore's Army." Oh her brain hurt.

So the Weasel had been with the-boy-who-lived, the wizarding world's greatest hero; then the Dark Lord, the wizarding world's most evil villain; and now one of the most prominent, richest, mysterious men of the wizarding world, not to mention his impeccably pure blood line. Good lord the girl snagged greatness.

Draco exchanged another look with Blaise; both knew that Pansy's silence could mean nothing good. He heard raucous laughter at the Gryffindor table and smiled in spite of himself, glad she was happy.

Then he heard one of her guy friends shout, "That's my old Ginny!" Draco looked up and scowled in their direction. She was _his_ and no one else's, he thought in a flash of protectiveness. Ginny met his eyes and grinned sheepishly, throwing a very cute shrug his way. He relaxed and smiled back at her.

"Easy there, killer," Blaise said with a raised eyebrow.

"What?" Draco asked, perfectly oblivious.

"You had your hackled raised and everything. A bit protective are we?"

"She's mine now," Draco growled.

Blaise grinned. "I wasn't intruding, calm down."

But Blaise had to wonder something along the lines of what Pansy was thinking, albeit more articulate. There was clearly some hidden trait in the girl. She didn't just bed the most important men in the world, plenty of girls had shared the men's beds, but all three of them were insanely attached to her. They _liked_ her for sure, hell, if he didn't know Draco and the Dark Lord better, he would say they all _loved_ her . . . yes, there was definitely something about the girl.

**Phew. That was eight pages! Do R&R, I would be much obliged. **


	15. Fluff

**To all of my reviewers, thank you so much for all of your feed back, its an amazing feeling to log into my email and see so many emails from you guys. Keep it up!**

**Warning, this chapter is like, eight pages of fluff and smut, the only real plot is in the last paragraph, so if you're not a fluff person, go right on and skip ahead. **

**Without further ado: Chapter 15: Fluff**

**X**

"What do you think they'll make us do tonight?" Neville asked nervously. Ginny didn't answer but smiled mysteriously.

"How _have_ you gotten out of the last two detentions anyway?" he asked.

Ever since Tom had reformed the school with his death eaters, Ginny had known she could get away with murder. She had not been in any state for rule breaking before Draco, but she was now ready to take full advantage of her peculiar position. Might as well use it for all it was worth, she thought painfully. She pushed the thoughts of intimacy with Tom out of her head and focused only on what it had left her: irrevocable power in the dark realm. The Carrow siblings had not dared confront her on skipping her detentions and, on that note, were probably glad that she _had _skipped.

But now she was here for Neville. They entered the dungeon chamber alone.

"They've been using Crucio and other spells to punish us physically," Neville said quietly. Ginny frowned a bit. Four other students walked in, surpassing Nevile's nerves with their own. Neville kept looking anxiously at Ginny, who was lounging in a chair, her feet on the desk in front of her, looking lazily at her nails.

The Carrows entered the room and everyone but Ginny snapped to attention. What the hell was she doing? Did she not see the professors come in? Neville tried his hardest to warn her mentally.

"And who is this brat not giving us a proper greeting, Amycus?" Alecto asked her brother with an evil grin.

"Lets find out, shall we, Alecto?" They both raised their wands and opened their mouths when Ginny turned around slowly and looked them straight in the eye.

"Go ahead, I dare you," she challenged in a low, menacing tone. Amazingly enough, the professors dropped their wands; Neville and the four others stared, mouths hanging open.

"And just what were you about to do, hm?" she asked, standing up slowly.

"N-nothing . . . we weren't doing anything," Amycus mumbled under his breath.

Ginny took a deep breath. How much power did she have now that she wasn't with Tom anymore? She fought quickly inside her head, debating how far she would push. Oh well, you never knew until you tried.

"Well, since you aren't doing anything useful, I'll be leaving now. Come on, Neville," she said haughtily, walking towards the door.

"You can't do that!" Alecto shrieked from behind her. Ginny stopped and turned slowly to face the short professor; the woman cringed.

"Excuse me?" Ginny hissed.

"You can't . . . he deserves his detention, his punishment," she squeaked, moving to hide behind her brother.

Ginny rose an eyebrow. "I don't believe I asked for our opinion, _Alecto_. Now, if you value your body the way it is, I advise you to watch what you say to me," she said coldly. "Neville, come on," she said again to Neville who stood rooted to the spot with a torn expression on his face. He looked back and forth at the professors and Ginny wildly.

Ginny sighed. "Tell him it's okay," she said to Amycus.

The man glared; Ginny rose her wand a fraction of an inch. "Its okay," he said quickly. Ginny smiled and Neville walked hesitantly toward the door and out of the room with Ginny.

He walked quietly for a moment, still in shock, before talking. "How the hell did you just get away with that?" he finally asked.

Ginny smiled mysteriously. "Ask me no questions, I'll tell you no lies."

They walked another minute in silence. "Can I ask you an unrelated question?"

_'Oh, Merlin, here it comes,' _she thought grimly, but nodded.

"What . . . why were you . . . what was wrong with you all last term?"

She took a while before answering. "It's a really long story."

"We've got time."

"I can't . . talk about it. I'm not even over it. Better, yes, but not good enough to talk about it."

"Malfoy's helping?" It was more of a statement than a question, but Ginny answered anyway.

"Draco is . . . he is the reason I started to get over it. He . . . saved me," _in more ways than one._

"Saved you?" Neville asked incredulously.

She smiled. "He's the reason I can smile again. He taught me how to laugh and to fall asleep without dreaming . . . he taught me how to live again."

Neville soaked up the knowledge, finding it hard to believe that _Malfoy_ of all people would be the one to show Ginny laughter and light.

"Was it Harry?" he asked, again referring to the cause of the damage.

She laughed a little, bitterly. "Part of it was."

Neville looked shocked and Ginny quickly explained, "Not because of anything he did to me," Neville's face relaxed. "It was what _I_ did to him that tore me up."

"What'd you do?" As far as he knew, Harry had never had a bad thing to say about Ginny. In fact, as far as he knew, they had been very much in love. But then, he hadn't seen Harry all year . . . Ginny teared up.

"I . . . I just did something terrible. He doesn't know it, so . . . at least he's happy," she told him quietly.

"Did you cheat on him?"

Ginny laughed the same bitter laugh as before. "I wish it were something that simple," something as simple as being sexually unfaithful would have been so much less painful.

Neville furrowed his eye brows in concentration. What could she have done that was worse than that?

"And this is where I leave you," she told Neville, stopping in front of a door that was not familiar to him.

"What's this?" he asked.

Ginny grinned mischievously. "Head boy's room," she told him coquettishly.

Neville grinned. "So you two are the real thing, then?" Ginny nodded an affirmation.

Then, knowing Lavender would talk shit unless he had specifics, Neville asked, "So is it . . . just sex or . . ." he trailed off.

Ginny laughed pleasantly. "I told you, he saved me. He's my best friend. And the sex ain't bad either," she said with a roguish wink. "So tell Lavender to fuck off, he's here to stay."

Neville laughed, he had missed this Ginny. "G'night Gin-bug," he said affectionately. "See you tomorrow."

She smiled in response and slipped inside the door.

**X**

It was only 8 o'clock and Draco was done with his homework. He had resigned to pacing the room waiting for 10 o'clock, at which point he would go look for Ginny. He laughed to himself. He needed the girl so badly! It was quite ironic that _he,_ of all people, would fall for_ her,_ of all people. But there you have it. He shook his head with a smile.

Just then, he heard her beautiful laugh. His face perked up and his body tensed. A few seconds passed and the door opened, he saw her slip into the room. She looked around but failed to see him standing in the corner.

Grinning, he took the opportunity. She turned her back to him and in an instant, his arms were around her waist from behind; she emitted a little shriek.

"Draco! You scared me!" she pouted.

"Did I?" he asked, kissing her neck from behind her.

"Mm, yes," she cooed. "Wait! Stop!" she said, remembering she had been pouting. She wiggled around in his arms to face him.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"I demand an apology and full retribution," she said imperiously.

"Oh, do you now?" he asked with a glint in his eye.

"Yes."

"I don't know about that apology part, but the full retribution thing, I can manage," he said huskily, sweeping her up honeymoon style and carrying her across the room towards the bed.

**X**

"Did you want to do anything for Valentine's Day?" Draco asked Ginny one evening. It was a cold night, but they had been cooped up for too long and had decided to take a walk.

The whispers had died down somewhat since the beginning of the semester; they could now walk together without the whole student population staring. Of course, they were both still icons for unrestrained envy, but hey, there was no use in complaining.

"No. I hate Hogsmeade on Valentine's Day, it's disgusting."

Draco smiled, gods he loved this girl. "Well, Its on a Friday this year."

"Um . . . okay," she said blankly.

"I was thinking, if you wanted, we could spend the weekend at the manor, just you and me."

Ginny flushed with excitement. "Really?" she squeaked.

"Really," Draco laughed. Ginny squealed and threw her arms around Draco's neck to kiss him furiously.

**X**

"You're going to his manor for the weekend? Just like that?" Parvati asked, gaping openly at Ginny. Their group was in the library, supposedly studying but the conversation had veered more to gossip.

"Yeah, something like that," she grinned. "It's only because of Valentine's, though." Ginny crossed her eyes when she saw Lavender roll _her_ eyes, bent over a book, trying to ignore her.

"_Only_ because of Valentine's!" Parvati looked up dreamily. "Oh, I can just imagine being whisked away to a manor for the weekend,"

"You can stop now, thanks," said Collin, elbowing her. Having recently asked her out, he did not appreciate her far fetched fantasies that he could not make come true.

"I didn't mean it like that," she blushed. Collin stuck his tongue out playfully.

"_I'm_ happy for you, Gin," Neville said, looking pointedly at Collin.

"Hey! I'm happy for her too!" Collin exclaimed. "I would just rather she didn't plant these images that I can't compete with in my girlfriend's head!" he said melodramatically.

"Oh, Collin, don't be so dramatic," Ginny scolded.

Then Parvati and Lavender were looking above Ginny's shoulder adoringly.

"May I borrow Ginevra for a moment?" Draco asked the girls in a charming tone, having appeared behind Ginny. The girls giggled and nodded, rendered speechless as they always were every time he came near. Collin scowled and Neville laughed as Ginny stood up breathlessly from the table.

"You're going to give those poor girls a heart attack one day," Ginny reprimanded once they were in an aisle alone.

He smiled and kissed her. "I'm done with my duties, are you ready to go?" he asked.

"Yeah, let me go tell them all bye and get my things."

He nodded. "I'll meet you in the Great Hall," he said, and with a kiss, he strode away.

**X**

"You know, I think I'd like to visit my Mum and Dad," Ginny said to Draco as they were walking off Hogwart's grounds.

He looked troubled for an instant. "And what'll I do in the meantime?"

"Well, come and meet them, I suppose," she said simply.

"Ginevra, everyone knows I'm a death eater," he said gently.

Oh.

She had forgotten. Had he been-? Had he been seeing Tom?? Had he been _helping _Tom? She needed to lie down.

"Er, lets just go to your place, then."

Draco nodded, angry that the Dark Lord had once again fucked up something that might have been nice. It would have been amazing to see where Ginevra had grown up, to talk to the people who had known her the longest; but he couldn't. And why? Because, like a fool, he had been seduced by the Dark Lord's smooth words to sign up for a cause that was against everything her family stood for. The only way out of it was if Lord Voldemort were to die, and that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. He sighed. Oh how fucked up life could be.

Draco was startled from his thoughts when Ginny said his name.

"Draco?"

"Yes?"

"I want to ask you a question."

"Okay." They had just arrived at the manor and had walked up to his room.

"How often do you see him?" she asked, looking straight at him. There was no need to explain who 'him' was.

"Not often," he replied, returning her gaze.

"What does that mean?"

"I haven't seen him directly since before Halloween."

"Directly?"

"I've been receiving orders and news, but through Snape or the Carrows."

"What kind of orders? She asked, she hadn't known he had been doing anything.

"Mundane things; watch Longbottom, watch Potter's old friend for mentions of his whereabouts, etc."

She blinked. "Why haven't you asked _me_?"

"I didn't want you to feel like I was using you."

"Aw, Draco," she said, scrunching her nose with a grin. "You can question me, if you want," she said with a wink.

He grinned. "Okay, where's Potter?" he said stepping closer to her.

"I won't tel you anything!" she said dramatically.

"Well then, lets see if I can . . . persuade you," he said and was then kissing her neck, walking her towards the bed.

"Mm, still not talking," she moaned.

"Oh yeah? Where's your brother?" he asked, laying her down on the bed and kissing down her chest, her stomach, lifting her shirt a bit and biting her hip.

"He's got Spattergroit!" she gasped in pleasure.

"Lies. Tell me the truth." He pulled her shirt over her head and kissed along the line of her bra.

"No," she sighed, closing her eyes.

"Where's Granger?" He unclasped her bra.

"Fuck you, I won't tell you anything," she said with a grin.

"Don't make me get serious!" he warned in a fake stern tone.

"Get as serious as you want, mister," she winked. "'Cause I'm not going to tell you a damn thing."

"Ha. We'll see about that." He sat up and took off his shirt. She looked at his gorgeous body hungrily. He took her hand and put it on his stomach.

"Where are the headquarters of The Order of the Phoenix?"

"I don't know," she sighed as he bent back down and kissed along her jeans before unbuttoning them and sliding them off of her.

"Tell me," he said, kissing her thighs.

She ran her hands through his hair. "No," she said stubbornly, then he was kissing her mouth fiercely and then her chest, teasing her breasts with his mouth.

"What about now?" he asked as he slid off her underwear.

"No . . . Oh, Draco," she moaned.

He grinned and stood to take off his pants. She looked at him, he really did take her breath away. He was back on top of her and he began to touch her most sensitive areas. She moaned and arched her back involuntarily. "Tell me," he commanded, moving his hand steadily, biting her neck.

"No," she protested half-heartedly with another moan. He moved to position himself on top of her and paused.

"What are you waiting for?" she pouted.

"Tell me, and I'll keep going," he said with a mischievous grin.

She opened her eyes wide. "That's cheating!"

"I said I was going to get serious," he reminded her. He was kissing her neck and pleasuring her with his fingers again, he had her moaning and wiggling in pleasure.

"Draco! Enough! I want you inside me!" she panted.

"But, darling, I _am_ inside you," he grinned.

"You know what I mean!"

Draco positioned himself to oblige her. "Tell me," he said, staying still.

"No."

"Then I'm afraid I can't help you," he said, making as if to move off of her.

"No! I'll tell you anything, just . . . please!" she begged. He grinned and, kissing her, he thrust inside her to give them both what they were aching for.

In the midst of the rolling around and biting and kissing and moving and thrusting and moaning and scratching and sweating, the interrogation was forgotten. When they had both reached their climax, they, exhausted, draped over each other.

After a few moments, Draco said, "You said you'd tell me anything, so . . ."

"Yeah, well, I lied," she said with a shrug, not opening her eyes.

"For shame," he scolded.

She grinned and kissed the corner of his mouth. "Want to punish me for it?" she asked coquettishly, rolling on top of him, her mouth inches from his. Draco grinned and pushed his mouth against hers.

Then the door burst open and Ginny yanked up the tangled blankets to cover their bodies. Draco was just laying there, not helping; she turned to look at him, frustrated. He was staring at the door. She looked up and there, standing furiously in the doorway, flanked by an anxious Lucius and a smug Bellatrix was Tom.

**X**

**Ooooo! Cliff hanger! Review for a faster update ; )**


	16. Letting Go

**Okay. This is chapter 16. Uhm. Yeah.**

**Chapter 16: Letting Go.**

**-**

She met his eyes and her mouth opened slowly in shock. She couldn't make herself look away. She could feel the onlookers shift their gazes from her to Tom and back. Tom looked furious; his eyes were burning and his hands were clenched. She locked eyes with him, mentally begging him to not do anything, but she could feel his attention waning in favor of the boy sitting next to her.

It was not even a second after Tom's eyes left hers and his wand was already raised. "Crucio!" he shouted, pointing at Draco.

Draco screamed and he fell off the bed thrashing and groaning. Ginny shrieked. "Stop it!"

Tom felt a surge of vindictive pleasure. How dare this boy touch Ginevra, she was _his_ girl. After all that he had done for this family and they repay him like this? The boy deserved this. He felt his face start to form a grin.

"Stop it! Stop! Please, stop!" Ginny was screaming, looking at Draco, tears rolling down her cheeks.

Tom's eyes narrowed. How dare her try and stop him, he _must_ punish the boy, what did she think would happen? That she would sleep with some _boy_ that was not himself and everything would be rainbows? She knew better than that. She had to have known what was going to happen.

Then she was screaming and standing up. He had to close his eyes from the distraction of her standing in naught but a comforter, her red curls piling on her shoulders, her face wet and vulnerable and pleading with him.

Then she said it. "Tom! Stop! _Tom_ . . ." she whispered it the last time. He opened his eyes slowly and looked at her, she looked royal, even in such a predicament.

"Don't you dare use that name," he hissed. She cringed and he immediately regretted his harshness. Oh God. He wanted to hold her, to comfort her . . . No! She was a weakness . . .

"Tom," she whispered again, taking a step towards him, confidently. Did she still think that he loved her? After all this time? How was she so sure? _Why_ was she so sure? He had left her without even a goodbye so why . . . enough! He would not think about it!

"Be quiet you silly girl," he said roughly, looking away from her so he would not be persuaded into mercy with her soulful eyes. So he directed his gaze to Draco. "You. Come." he said. Ginny's eyes opened wide.

Tom was going to kill Draco, she knew he would. Draco stood and magicked his pants back on. He took a nervous step towards the door, towards his certain death. Then suddenly, Ginny was moving.

"Tom . . . please," she whispered, walking to Tom and placing her hand on his cheek. The Malfoys and Bellatrix all looked at her in shock. "Please," she said again, tenderly.

Tom grabbed her wrist roughly and yanked her hand away from his face. He looked into her pleading eyes and didn't know if he could stay any longer without sweeping her into his arms and kissing her. "Fine," he snarled, still looking at Ginny. "Stay with your _whore_," he said viciously, pushing Ginny away by her wrist so hard that she hit the floor.

He turned to look at Draco once more. "I will not be so merciful the next time that our paths cross young Malfoy, so I daresay that you should watch your back."

Before Ginny could look up, Tom had already left.

Lucius lingered behind. Draco was standing in shock that he had not been killed, Ginny was still lying crumbled on the floor. "You saved my son's life," Lucius said, slowly. Ginny looked up in surprise. "But you were also the one who put him in such danger. Be careful where you tread, both of you. You know you'll be watched." And then he too turned and strode out of the room leaving them with more on their minds.

As soon as the door was shut, Draco was at Ginny's side. She was staring at the door blankly.

"Baby, get up," he said gently. She didn't move. "Ginny, darling, you've got to get up," he said firmly. She didn't react, so Draco scooped her from the ground and carried her back to the bed.

How in Merlin's name did she exercise so much control over the dark Lord even now that they had been apart nigh six months? He had so many questions! However, he was too considerate to ask her any of them. All of a sudden, she was crying. Tears were pouring down her face so quickly, Draco wondered how her body produced them. He moved tentatively to hug her. As soon as he made contact with her body, she whipped her arms around his stomach, latching onto him as if for life itself. He wrapped his arms around her as tightly as he could and laid his head on top of hers, whispering sweet nothings and rocking her until she stopped crying.

"Ginevra," he said, looking down at her. She looked up at him pitifully and sniffled. "Talk to me, baby," he pleaded.

Her watery eyes quivered and she burst into tears again. "He was my _every_thing, Draco! _Every_thing to me!" she choked out. "And I _know_ he loved me . . . he just left, though. No goodbye, no nothing. And he never even told me he loved me, he would never _say_ it," she whispered. "Maybe it would be easier to be happy if I just knew, if I just heard him say it . . . so I wouldn't feel so used . . . so worthless. If I could just hear him say it . . . so I would know I wasn't just some pathetic little girl with a crush . . . gods, I miss him so much it hurts!" she cried.

Draco's insides shook with anger. Angry that she still missed him. Angry that the dark lord still had a hold on her. Angry that the bastard hadn't given Ginevra the closure she so desperately needed. Angry that the dark lord had hurt her like this. And that was the first time that the thought of defeating Voldemort entered his mind.

Ginny shook her head as if shaking away the thoughts. "Enough. I'm happy with you and I'm glad that you're okay," she said, bravely.

Draco looked at her angrily. "Gin, you need to talk about it."

She shook her head. "No, I'm fine, Draco. I'm happy with you!" she protested weakly.

"Ginevra, put down the walls . . . _trust_ me! Trust me enough to tell me, to give _me_ everything," he pleaded desperately.

Ginny stared into Draco's eyes. He was right, she should tell him. After a while of silence, she stood and put her underwear and his T shirt on. She sat back on the bed, her back against the headboard, her legs laid out in front of her. She beckoned Draco to put his head in her lap and she began running her fingers through his hair while his eyes searched her face as best he could from his view on her lap.

"It started when I was eleven." And she told him how Tom had come to live inside her mind for nearly five years. She explained how they had grown to deal with each other, and then to like each other, to even enjoying each other's company and she told him of how Tom created his own body but still resided in her head much of the time.

"After a while, we were very close. But it drove me crazy to be so close to him and not be able to touch him, to see his face when he laughed. So, when Harry asked me out, I jumped on the chance."

Draco made a face and she hit him playfully before continuing.

"I had always liked Harry. It was hard to talk to him in the beginning because Tom was constantly talking shit in my head, but I learned to block him . . . sort of. Harry was amazing. Tom was still my first choice but, I needed Harry. I had become addicted to having someone tangible to hold. Harry made me confident, he taught me that I could lead a life apart from Tom. I think his memory was the reason I was able to go so long before I thought of . . . ending my life."

And she told him of Dumbledore's funeral and Harry breaking up with her and Tom being able to permanently inhabit his own body.

"The sex with him was so much different than it was with Harry. He opened _so_ many doors for me . . . it was rough and passionate and I was _always_ left with jelly for knees. Every night for a month I came here to see him, Draco."

And she told him of the night that The Order had moved Harry to the burrow and of Tom sneaking into her house and how she had known Tom loved her because he had snuck in to see her without roaming the house or looking for Harry. No motive but to see and be with her.

"And then it was Harry's birthday and I couldn't resist . . . I still loved him. So we slept together one last time and the _entire_ time, I thought of nothing but Tom. I was so mad at myself, I was doing the worst possible thing that I could do to Harry. Luckily, he never found out about Tom. But _Tom_ knew. Oh, he was mad for age."

And then she told him of the attack on her home and how Bellatrix had cursed her.

"I believe you were there at that meeting."

"Yeah," he affirmed, smiling at the amusing memory.

"He would do anything I asked. I knew he had never been like that with anyone else, I knew I was different. We were never apart for more than twelve hours. I moved in eventually. Don't look so shocked, your house is huge, there could be tenants on the other side right this second and you would never know. Anyways, I couldn't get enough of him! The week before school started, the day you first talked to me actually, Tom and I went to Diagon Alley, we were going to spend the week there. That night, we lasted for hours with no drugs," she paused to laugh a bit and then continued. "Looking back, I can tell you that there was a kind of desperation in his kisses, in the way he held me," she paused again, tearing up.

Draco shut his eyes, trying to keep his face smooth so she would not see his anger. He hated the thought of the Dark Lord's hands on her, his mouth on hers.

"I guess it was his way of saying goodbye . . . but I didn't know that then. I woke up the next morning and he was gone. But it was no big deal, he did that all the time. He had left me the key to his vault at Gringott's for my school supplies, so I went shopping, as planned. He still wasn't back the next day. It didn't even occur to me that he had left for good, I was just pissed that he had invited me to do something and then not shown up. So I went and bought a firebolt _and_ took out spending money," she grinned sheepishly.

Draco smiled, he could imagine Ginny doing just such a thing when mad.

"But near the end of the week, I began to suspect something, I was worried. I hoped he would meet me at King's Cross. I even remember inventing the most fantastic fantasies, like he had only left to find me a ring and that at any second, he would show up and ask me to marry him."

Draco felt a pang of sadness for her as a single tear rolled down her face.

"Obvioulsy he didn't do that. When you showed up behind me that day, I half expected it to be him . . . I got a compartment on the train by myself. You told me you would be waiting for me, do you remember?"

Yeah, and you never came, damn near broke my heart," he said with a wink. She managed a weak smile.

"I made sure to get a compartment alone, I couldn't deal with anyone. Then it hit me; he was gone. I can't really remember from then up to December. Those months are so blurry I can hardly remember being alive at all. All I can remember was the pain; the heart stopping, throat burning, constant pain for three straight months. Everything became clearer those last two days, though."

"Last?"

"When I decided to . . . end it. What was the point in living without him? When I decided to go through with my plan, everything felt a little more right in the world, like I had made the right decision. So I was going to jump from the broom I had bought and, well, you saved me. And I can remember things after that. It was the last two days of the . . . darkness. You saved me by not letting me fall, but it was like you brought the sun with you too. It was still dark for a while, but the more time I spent with you, the brighter it got . . . I still love him, Draco. I don't think I'll ever stop. He was so much a part of me that when he left, he took that part of me with him. And do you want to know the worst part? I can't hate him. I've tried so hard; I tell myself all the reasons why I _should_ hate him, I repeat the list over and over in my head and I _still_ can't fucking hate him!" she said, frustrated, tears rolling steadily down her face again.

Draco sat up so that they could look at each other dead on.

"I've just trusted you with something I've never told anyone. What armor I had, you've stripped from me. And Draco, whatever is left . . . whatever I am . . . I am yours."

"Ginevra, look at me," he directed as she looked down at her hands. She looked back up with tears still shining in her eyes. "Don't be upset that you've trusted me. I love you, you hear me? I _love _you. Nothing would ever make me leave you but death itself," he said fiercely.

"Oh, Draco," she sighed, leaing into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.

She had just spilled more to him than anyone else. She had been close to Tom but their relationship had been forced into existence. She had just _voluntarily_ given Draco every key she possessed, all the knowledge, to hurt her. She had thought she would never be able to talk about Tom. Wow. Draco had done _so_ much for her. And a feeling began to rise in the bottom of her stomach and rose to her chest, then her throat . . . then she gasped.

"Draco, I . . . I love you, too," she said in awe.

Draco positively soared.

She had never said it back to him! He had even been doubting their relationship's authenticity, but she had _said_ it! She said it out loud, admitting it to herself, entrusting to him a part of her that she had previously dubbed irretrievable.

Ginny felt his whole body tense before he pulled her tighter to him.

"Oh, Ginevera, you have no idea what that means to me," he breathed.

Ginny smiled. It felt wonderful to say it, as if the words had expelled some sort of dark cloud that had been harbored inside of her. "Draco, I feel great!" she said, sitting up excitedly.

He smiled at her. "Good."

"I love you!" she said girlishly, accentuating with a giggle.

"And I love you!" he said, matching her enthusiasm.

She shrieked excitedly and threw her arms around his neck, throwing her weight at him causing them to fall back onto the bed.

-

**Okay. So that was kind of anti climatic but I couldn't very well have Tom killing off our hero so, what other way could I go? **

**Also, I used a quote from James Bond Casino Royale. Whoever finds it gets a cookie. **

**Review or Die! _**


	17. short

**So I know its been a while and the story's getting long but I do have an ending, just not a lot of time to transcribe. **

**At any rate, here's chapter 17.**

**XXXXXXXX**

"Must have been one hell of a Valentine's weekend," Neville said over supper the Monday the students were to return. He nodded his head towards the entrance where Ginny entered on Draco's arm, positively skipping.

Parvati laughed. "And why do you say that?"

"Just look at her!" he said as Ginny bounced up on her tip toes and kissed Draco before prancing towards her friends. "Something had to have happened."

"To who?" Ginny asked brightly, arriving at the end of the conversation. She even looked better; she had a glow around her, she smiled constantly, she could often be found looking up adoringly at a smiling, content Draco.

"To you."

"To me?"

"Yes, you."

"O. Okay then." She laughed gloriously before continuing. "So, er . . . what must have happened?"

Neville, Colin and Parvati exchanged looks.

"Well, something must have happened to you this weekend, you're much -" Colin said delicately, not wanting to damage her new found good mood.

"-happier? I am!" Ginny said breathlessly, completing Colin's sentence for him.

". . . Well . . . what happened? Parvati asked.

"I love him! I realized I love him! And that made _him_ happier and it helped me . . . move on . . .the realization did . . ." she smiled to herself before diving into her macaroni. \

"Well I'm happy for you Gin-bug," Neville said.

"Me too!" she laughed.

Being more alert and aware of her surroundings, Ginny joined Neville in pulling several pranks on the Carrows and breaking rules and the what not, much to Draco's amusement. After a while, Neville was threatened that his grandmother would be hurt if he didn't calm down and they stopped their antics for a while.

"Thank god! I am _constantly _afraid you are going to get hurt," Draco had said, sounding much like a worried mother which Ginny promptly laughed at.

Then Neville had received a letter from his Gram telling him she was proud of his rebellion and the force was at it again ("God damn it, Ginny!")

Ginny became an icon yet again; guys fell over themselves to get her attention, doing favors for her, carrying on stupid stunts to make her look at them. She could not help but laugh at the threatening looks that Draco would shoot her admirers, nor could she believe her luck that she had somehow managed to get such an amazing lover. Those next few weeks were some of the happiest she had ever experienced, life was good again.

The day before easter holidays, Draco asked Ginny to come to his manor with him yet again, assuring her that Tom was very far away. Lucius and Narcissa adored her, however frightened they were of her and what consequences her presence might bring.

The family and Ginny had just finished a pleasant supper and Ginny and Draco could now be found in the old unused dining hall going at it on the table when they were interrupted by a servant announcing that Draco's presence was required in the sitting room.

"Fuck!" Draco cursed, pulling away.

"Oh, don't go!" Ginny moaned as Draco pulled his pants up.

He kissed her forehead. "I'll be right back baby, don't move." He winked and exited still putting his shirt on.

-

"What's wrong?" Draco asked his father as he entered the sitting room.

"Greyback is at the gates with what he presumes is Harry Potter," Lucius said carefully calm. "Your mother has gone to the door to see them in."

"So . . . why do you need me?"

Lucius cast an annoyed look at his son. "Try to think with your head, Draco, not your nethers."

Draco laughed. "Fine. However, I still do not see why you require me to be here."

"Just sit," Lucius said dismissively.

Draco made a face but sat nonetheless. He put his head in his hands to think. He seriously hoped it was not Potter, he didn't want to see him for one. And for another reason, if it _was _ Potter, Voldemort would be summoned and he had promised Ginny that he would not be there. Draco spent the next few moments wishing fervently for Greyback to have been mistaken.

Draco's head jerked up when he heard the door open. Narcissa walked through the door flanked by Greyback, several people he didn't know and what was unmistakably the Golden Trio.

_Fuck!_

XXXxXXXXXX

**Sorry for length but I'm out of time.**

**Remember to review!**


	18. hiding

**I don't think I've ever updated this fast! Wow! **

**-**

"We found these maggots crawling about the woods," Greyback growled in his deep voice.

Draco grimaced at the state of his former school mates, they looked awful.

"We think it's 'Arry Potter!" a man beside Greyback squeaked in an uncomfortably high pitched voice.

Lucius looked over the prisoners before addressing Greyback. "My son was in their same year at Hogwarts, I've asked him to identify the Potter boy and his friends if they were indeed them," he said calmly. "Draco, come here."

Draco sauntered forth and could see the eyes of the prisoners go wide. Ginny's brother, Ronald, or something of the sort, put his head down and shook it ever so slightly; Potter's whole face went rigid, and the mudblood – er, Granger—had a look of pure mortification on her face. Draco shrugged.

"Well? Is it them?" Greyback asked impatiently.

Draco looked Potter in the eyes. Here was the bane of his existence, the thorn in his side since his first year. He could very easily be rid of him . . . Draco sighed. Alas, if he _did_ identify them, that would mean that the Dark Lord would arrive. Draco rolled his eyes to himself, Potter, he supposed, was the lesser of the two evils. "I have no idea who these kids are. They look like worthless refugees to me," Draco said, shoving his hands in his pockets.

Lucius looked at him suspiciously. Greyback eyed him before protesting, "I know its them! I heard _him_," -here he shook Weasley's shoulder- "call _this_ one," -here he shook Potter- "Harry! Its got to be them!"

"Are you sure it can't be Harry and his blood traitor friend along with that mudblood of theirs?" Lucius asked Draco disdainfully, as if the Granger girl were a pet.

Draco shrugged again. "I don't know. I guess it could be but I don't think it is," he said, looking straight into Potter's eyes to let him know that he knew the truth. The three ex-school mates looked slightly confused.

Lucius narrowed his eyebrows for a moment before giving orders. "Well put them in the cellar until we can determine that they are for certain Potter and his friends," Lucius told the group. They exited with the prisoners not allowing the trio to look back.

"May I go, Father?" Draco asked ceremoniously after their guests had left. Lucius waved him off without a word.

After he slipped out of the sitting room Draco was stuck with a decision. He could either find Ginny immediately or rescue Potter and his friends first. If he went to look for Ginny now, someone else would surely identify Potter and the Dark Lord would be called. Although on the bright side, he would be rid of Potter and his annoying friends forever, it would also greatly screw up anything resembling normal that he and Ginny had. With a sigh, Draco set off the hall that led to the cellar.

-

After his break out job, which was executed flawlessly if he did say so himself, Draco returned to the old dining room grumbling at having to rescue Potter. Ginny wasn't there however, as he had expected her to be. He checked her room only to find she was not there either.

By a stroke of luck, Draco caught a glimpse of red hair in the lawn out of the window. She was trying to coax a peacock to approach her. He laughed and shook his head at the anxiety that he had felt build up inside of him when he could not find her.

He made his way to join her, avoiding the sitting room where his parents and his Aunt were arguing, unaware of their captives' escape. Draco had hardly gotten near her when Ginny stood and turned around, sensing someone to be there.

"Draco . . ." she breathed.

"Ginevra," he greeted, walking towards her.

"Harry? . . . Ron?" she inquired fearfully as he arrived in front of her.

"Yes, they caught them," he affirmed, pulling her into his arms. "However, I . . . arranged for their departure," he finished.

She looked up at him curiously. "Serious?"

"As a heart attack."

"Oh!" she threw her arms around his neck then pulled back grinning mysteriously.

"What?" he asked suspiciously.

"You're becoming good, you know," she giggled.

"Ha," he laughed dryly, taking her hand and leading her back inside. "I am hardly good," he said, using air quotes when he said 'good.'

"Yes you are. I know that you've been helping Neville and Seamus do watch at the Room of Requirements, they told me. If thats not good then I don't know what is. And you just let Harry Potter escape the clutches of your Lord and master, that's double crossing if I've ever seen it . . . which I have," she said with a twinkle in her eye.

He grinned in spite of himself, she really was cute. "I don't see how that makes me good. I watch the room with your friends to ensure that you are receiving the utmost safety. I let Potter escape because I knew that you would be angry if I didn't. I couldn't care in the slightest about how this is helping the "good" side, I only care about protecting you," he said as he swept her into his embrace and leaned against a wall just inside the door.

Ginny looked confused then thoughtful and then she sighed. "Oh well, its a start. I'll get you on the "good" side before too long."

"We'll see about that," Draco said dismissively, kissing the top of her head.

"Oh, Draco," she sighed, resting her head against his chest. "You're so good to me."

Draco smiled and stroked her head reassuringly.

-

"You know, my family will probably go into hiding now that everyone knows Ron hasn't got Spattergroit," Ginny said later as the lay in bed.

Draco looked thoughtful. "And you?"

"I imagine they'll expect me to go with them, they don't know that I have certain . . . protections."

"So you'll go?"

"Well . . . I don't particularly fancy explaining why I shouldn't have to, so . . . yes, most likely."

Draco sighed and pulled Ginny's very little-clad body to him as they laid down. "I'll miss you, Ginevra."

"And I, you, Draco."

"You'll be careful?"

"How much trouble can I get into surrounded by the Order? _You_ be careful."

"There's not many who have reason to harm me."

"Well at any rate, stay away from Romilda, she has a nasty habit of leeching onto the men I like."

Draco laughed and kissed her good night.

-

Sure enough, the next morning Ginny received an owl from her mother.

_Ginny,_

_You must return home at once. You passed your apparition test, didn't you?_

_If not, speak to Professor McGonagol, I'm sure she will help. I'll explain_

_everything else when you get here._

_With all my love,_

_Mum_

Ginny passed the letter to Draco over breakfast. "She thinks I'm at school," she said guiltily.

"Don't feel bad. When will you go?"

"Now, I suppose," she sighed. "Still still have to go get my things from school."

Draco coughed. "Actually, I had Kreacher – Potter's old elf - deliver them last night."

"Kreacher?" she asked, surprised.

"Yes, he used to feed my aunt information about the order but now I swear he's in love with Potter and apparently willing to do anything to help "Potter's woman"," Draco scoffed. "Apparently he is misinformed."

Ginny giggled. "Well, I really should be leaving," she said, standing.

"I think we've got time for a goodbye," Draco said roguishly, promptly walking around the table to sweep her upstairs to say a proper goodbye.

-

"Ginny!" Ginny heard as soon as she appeared at the burrow. Soon thereafter, her family members were spilling out of the house towards her, her mum in the lead.

"Ginny! I'm so glad you're safe!" her mum shrieked. "Ron was caught, Bill and Fleur flooed to let us know! I – oh come inside, dear," her mother said, looking flustered.

Ginny looked at Fred and George and rose an eyebrow. They looked at her gravely, much unlike them. She felt uneasy as she walked inside and saw the state of the house. The Burrow had always been slightly cluttered but her mum had always kept it clean. Now, however, there were things everywhere; belongings and papers were scattered over every flat surface and there was a good quarter inch thick layer of dust on top of it all.

"What happened?" she asked in scrutiny.

Molly brushed her disheveled hair out of her face. "We're trying to make it look as though we've been gone a while in case . . . in case they . . ." but she could not finish her sentence as she burst into tears.

Arthur took over explaining things to Ginny. "We're trying to make it look as though we've been gone quite a while just in case any death eaters come looking for us."

Knowing she was supposed to be clueless, she asked, "Why would they though?"

"Ron, Harry and Hermione were caught yesterday. They were taken to the Malfoy Manor and were imprisoned for a while. Apparently, they were able to escape but they wouldn't tell us how. They apparated to Bill and Fleur's cottage and that's where they are now. However, now the death eaters know that Ron _is _directly affiliated with Harry so our family is in danger. We're going into hiding," Arthur finished tensely.

"And, apparently, the Malfoy kid was . . . uncooperative in identifying them, as if he wanted no part of it," Fred said slyly, looking at Ginny.

Ginny looked at him. So they knew something was up. Luckily, her parents didn't notice.

"Okay everyone, lets get a move on!"

The next hour was spent packing necessities and getting everything arranged for the move to a rather town house in a muggle development in down town London. Ginny stayed away from Fred and George, not wanting to answer their questions about Draco. The move went smoothly and the town house was nice, if small. Molly cooked a lovely dinner and the family finally relaxed a bit.

"Well, we're off to bed then," Arthur said after a period of conversation in the living room. Molly stood as well and, bidding everyone goodnight, they let for the master bedroom leaving only Fred, George and Ginny.

"Well guys, I'm tuckered out, I think I'll go to bed too," Ginny said hastily, standing.

"Oh no you don't missy," George said, pulling her back down to the couch. She groaned inwardly.

"We have questions for you," Fred said.

"Joy," she replied flatly. George grinned.

"So how are you?" Fred asked.

". . . Good," she said suspiciously.

"Mum said you were in a right state at King's Cross when you left off to school," said George.

"Like you had just been through a breakup," Fred interjected.

"Then you didn't answer any of our letters until December."

"Mum had to mail McGonagal just to see if you were in school."

"Then you wrote but you didn't come home for Christmas."

"And now, Neville told us you're dating Malfoy. That its not even a secret, _every_one knows."

"Everyone but us."

"Come on, Gin, spill."

Ginny bit her lip. "Well. That was certainly a nice bit of detective work and, yes, I'm dating Draco." She said finally.

"Gin!" Fred said reprovingly.

"Please don't tell! I'm not ready for . . . for Harry to know," she pleaded.

They both looked at her, unblinking, unbelieving.

"He's not that bad, no really! There's a lot you don't understand!"

"Enlighten us, dear sister, because last we heard, he was a death eater ordered to kill Dumbledore."

"But he _didn't_ kill Dumbledore, Snape did! And he may be a death eater but he . . . look, I'm his first priority and he would never hurt me."

The twins stared at her for a few seconds before Fred sighed. "Is he the one you were crying over before term?"

"No . . . he was the reason I was able to write again," she said quietly, realizing how dramatic she sounded.

The twins rose their eyebrows in unison.

"Until December, I was shut down. It hurt to be . . . alive, so I went on a kind of auto pilot. Draco brought me out of it," she explained.

"So who got you like that?"

"Someone I was very close to," she said, dodging the question.

"The same one who left the extraordinary hickies and bruises on you this summer?"

Ginny giggle a bit at that question. "Yes."

"So who was it?"

"Do we need to beat him up?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

Fred and George said nothing for a moment, debating on whether to honor this wish or not. Finally, they moved on and George asked another question.

"So how is this Malfoy character?"

"Oh, _wonderful_!" Ginny gushed, her whole face lighting up.

And they wiled the night away discussing Draco and the DA and their countless terrorisms of Alecto and Amycus, they talked of the joke shop and Fred's new girlfriend and Harry and Hermione and Ron and other things. Ginny smiled as she fell asleep that night, she had missed her brothers.

-

**Member to review!**


End file.
